All The Fragile Ones: Part II
by Tiruneko
Summary: All The Fragile Ones: Book II- Not only is this a day of celebration, but the beginning of a new age. Consider this the turning point to a new dawn, the sunrise after a long and dark night. I stand here before you today bearing a demon child! They will bring about the end of the world, but we shall stop them, we, we, shall make the un-killable, dead at last!
1. II: These Cursed Eyes of Mine

_~Book Two~_

_X~38~X_

The noise around grew and swelled into one large, deafening clap. A gigantic boom of shouting, screaming, and commotion. Although the world was blind to her, she could hear everything like she never had before. It was, to say the least, terrifying. Yet she holds herself together.

The noise didn't stop, the screams of people, so full of rage… it wouldn't stop. She could hear crying too, people seem to be chocking on their own tears, gulping down their own rage until they are about to burst. The noise is consuming, insatiable. Just as it seemed as if it would never, ever stop or dull for even the slightest moment, it did just that.

She can feel herself being pulled up something, dragged almost, but knowing that pain would follow if she tried to do it on her own, she held completely motionless.

A large piece of cloth, maybe a bag or a pillow case, is lifted off of IA's face with one large whoosh of air. It takes her eyes a moment to adjust against the harsh lighting, but eventually they do. The light from the florescent fixtures above that blend with the faint sunlight mingle, and pool within the highlight of her blazing crimson red eyes. IA's hands shake uncontrollably, and terror nips at her bones, but she holds herself together.

Before her is a large center. A large circle made out of polished grey stones is buried into the soft, grassless earth. A fountain spurts water at the very center of the stone circle. The sculpture of the fountain is that of three hooded figures all lifting a giant plate full of people up as high as they can. Coming out of the "plate with the people" is a large cross with the bodies of six separate figures nailed all around it, hanging from every side, nailed to every board possible. At the very top of the cross is the spout from which water is spraying. Crowded around the edge of the stone circle and fountain, as far as IA can see, are people. Lots and lots of people, silently standing. Some stand with children, others alone or with what looks to be their partners or family, but what stands out to the quivering child is that there is not a single elderly person, or a single sick person. Only able bodied men, women, and children are gathered. Behind them spans out buildings and buildings, houses and houses, and directly above IA is a dirt ceiling lined with florescent lights. A massive cross-shaped sky light embedded within it all. The shocking realization comes to her like a punch in the stomach, she's underground.

She is atop a wooden stage looking down over the crowd but from her position into a forced-kneel, she is unable to see those around her. But IA knows none of them are Len.

Behind her a woman with snow white hair stands with her hands folded lazily into the pockets of her leather jacket. Her grey dress pants fall just below her ankle, showing black, heavy dress shoes underneath. Haku's eyes are fixed on a point off in the distance, their orange depths swelling. With a small nod of her head the crowd in front of them roars back to life. IA yelps in terror.

"Kill it!" The people scream. Some of them lunge forward as they shout, spit flying from their mouths. IA can't tell if they're terrified or angry. Or maybe even both.

"Demon child!"

"Purge this world of Akuma!"

"Leave this world!"

"Kill it!"

With each shout, each horrified and hateful stare, IA seems to shrink more and more back into who she was, who she used to be. The smallest bit of her humanity still holds to the belief that Len will save her. Len has to save her, right?

Haku moves forward, blocking most of IA's view. The people silence instantly, as if being slapped across the face, and they all wait, teetering, as if her next words will either save, or kill them.

"Citizens, I welcome you here today with words of joy. All of you, all of the loyal citizens of Demon's Crow have waited a long, patient time for this moment. Not only is this a day of celebration, but the beginning of a new age. Consider this the turning point to a new dawn, the sunrise after a long and dark night. I stand here before you today, not only bearing a prize of our labors, but as your new leader. I, Haku Yowane, stand proud before you today as the third Master of Demon's Crow!" The crowd cheer's blend and form into one long resonanting buzz of joy that rings into IA's ears, almost louder than their cries of hatred. "Now, to move onto more pressing matters, today I bring before you, a Demon Child. This Demon Child is the youngest in existence, the smallest, and the weakest. I bring this before you today not to strike fear into your children's minds, not to burn the image of this impure and hellish fiend into your eyes, but to ease your fears. The Demon Children will bring about the end of this world as we know it! But we will stop them!" The crowd screams again, roaring up into a blast of energy as Haku gestures wildly throughout her speech. "I promise you, on behalf of the entire world, no, the entire universe and all of God's creation, that I- I will stop them! We will stop them and bring about the eternal and divine age of the lord!" The last cry of the crowd rips through IA's ears, some men and children jump up and down, some simply clap, others weep with joy. IA feels as if she's about to vomit.

"Take her away." Haku whispers to the men standing on either side of IA. She turns back to the crowd and continues her speech.

As the armed guards place the sack back over IA's head, she momentarily catches a glimpse of something. Just out of the corner of her eye, hiding partially behind a building overlooking the plaza is a girl with two pink twin drills on either side of her head. IA notices something about her, something so different from everyone else. Not only is this girl making complete eye contact with the nearly hysterical IA, but her face isn't happy, nor angry. But almost melancholy. Almost the look of pity.

IA is jabbed sharply in the back by one of the men, and marches forward blindly, nearly tripping down the stairs to the stage. She marches on, her legs aching, the only noise around her the fading cheers of the crowd and the soft voice of Haku. IA feels her head smash into something smooth and cold, but the guards do not steer her away or correct her direction. A mechanical sliding noise startles her and she feels her heart begin to race. All she can think of is Len's voice that day in the dark room, and Miku's warm smile. She even thinks of the way Rin would scream at her and whimpers softly. Len's voice plays back in her ears like a broken record, "I'll come back and get you out of there. I promise everything is going to be okay."

"Going up." A mechanical female voice chirps. IA cringes as the elevator lurches to life and glides steadily upwards. "Floor three, containment."

A gruff hand grabs IA by the shoulder and spins her harshly around. A sharp object jabs her much harder than last time, and she almost sprints forward before being stopped abruptly by the same man.

A massive electric shock runs through her lower back and explodes outwards, lighting her every muscle on fire and making her inhale sharply for oxygen. Her entire body goes numb suddenly with her sudden whoosh of breath, and as she inhales again all of her nerves smash back into place, and burn as if each muscle is being individually stabbed with small needles.

"Try to run away again, and I'll kill you." A very deep and sharp male voice growls.

IA grimaces, but keeps her head bent down as a subconscious sign of submission. After what seems like an eternity of walking, the man barks at IA to stop. She hears keys jingling in a lock as someone spins her around and unties the bag around her neck. With the sudden exposure to the glare of florescent lights IA squints before being shoved into the ground inside of a fairly large room.

"Master Yowane will be by later. Any attempt at escape or any sign of resistance will result in your immediate death and will move you into a more… intensive cell." IA twists around from her withering position on the floor to reach out a hand, but the door is sealed shut with a loud clang, closing her off.

Without any control over herself, she begins to hyperventilate, the chains around her ankles rattling gently. Her wrists are bloody, but the cuts from the rope have already healed. She wipes away the last of the blood onto her jacket.

"L-Lenny…" She cries softly, burying her head in her knees. Tears cloud her vision, falling down into her palms like droplets of rain. Her hair sticks to her damp cheeks and she sniffles quietly, hugging her knees even tighter to her chest. After her crying subsides and her eyes are dry, she stands slowly and studies the room around her.

It's the size of a bedroom, with a wooden bench built into the wall in the upper left corner. The bench is only big enough for about three people her size. On the wall right before her is a small window, too small to crawl through. It is also barred, making it impossible to open or shatter. Besides that the cement-walled room is empty. IA's chains are attached to the wall by the door, allowing her to move freely around the room. She makes her way over to the bench, and still being small, pushes herself up onto it. She kicks her legs back and forth, making the chains rattle loudly.

Her throat is dry and scratchy, but there isn't any water. IA chokes back more tears. In her frustration she punches the bench beside her. A sharp pain shoots through her hand and upsets her more. With a loud growl she throws her small balled up fist into the bench again. She begins sobbing again, her fingers clawing at her eyes. Her shoulders shudder up and down with each ragged breath.

IA can't remember how long it has been since she had last seen Len and Miku and Rin… she figured she had been in that van for about a week, maybe longer, maybe shorter. She has no way of knowing. All she knows is that she had already died once from dehydration.

After a crying a little while longer her exhaustion is overwhelming and IA falls asleep, still pressed against the bench, her dreams filled with looming shadows.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

Haku walks in front of a group of guards down the hallway of the corporation with a ravaging craving for coffee.

She opens the door to her office and turns back to face her three guards. "I've got it, thanks." s he grumbles, slamming the door behind herself. Her boots clatter against each other in the corner as she kicks them off, sighing with relief. On the wall above her massive oak desk is a bright yellow cross with an image of a crow perched on the top of it. It's the logo for her branch of the organization. The three main points of Demon's Crow are the three different corporations. The first one was under her… former employer, Kiyoteru Hiyama. Or rather, Master Hiyama.

The first branch he runs is known as Vocaloid: Experimental Facilities, but among the minor employees of Vocaloid it's known as the cruelest of the branches. The second branch is currently run by Haku's last employer, Lily. Lily's branch is known as Crypton Human Adaption Corp. It's known as the "field dogs" because they tend to do all of the dirty work ordered by Demon's Crow. Lastly is Haku's branch, Crow's Medical Research Facility, known as the heart of the three corporations. Not because the entire Demon's Crown community rests underground beneath its walls, but because it's known as the kindest of the three.

Haku presses her thumb to her temple, flopping down rather ungracefully into her plush office chair behind her large computer monitor. She pops open a window with the push of a button and two live security camera feeds spring up. One is of IA's room. Haku sees her, curled up into a small pathetic ball, weeping on the ugly wooden bench, half asleep. The other is of someone her size, chained to the ceiling, head lolling down. She sighs, looking back to IA's room.

Haku picks up the file lying next to her mouse. "IA? Huh." She sighs deeply, bringing her coffee mug to her lips. She sets the cup down with a tiny thump and presses a red button next to her desk. An intercom blares to life.

"How may I connect you, Master Haku?" A female voice asks respectively to the other end.

"Patch me in to resources command please." Haku grumbles. If there's one thing she hates more than power, its formalities. But power comes to people like her, no matter how hard they try and fight it.

"Yes, Master Haku." The line goes silent before chirping back to life.

"How may I assist you, Master Haku?" A gruff male voice says.

"Bring Subject Number One to holding cell two." Haku takes another sip of coffee, smirking to herself as the line on the other end goes quiet.

"Bu- N-no, disrespect, Master Haku, but didn't we put Subject Number Two there?"

"Yes. Was my order unclear? I want them _together._"

"N-no disrespect, but may I ask… why?" The man gulps bracing himself to be scolded. Haku, much to his surprise, answers him honestly.

"Let's just call it a little… social experiment. I have all the solitary data I need on Subject Number Two from her time at Crypton, but what I don't have is her social data. They escaped before it could be recorded and logged." She states simply, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes. The white strand falls just before her eyes again, blocking her view of Subject Number One on the camera.

"Yes Master."

"One more thing."

"Yes Master?"

"Bring them both water."

"Master, No disrespect, but why? They don't need food or water, if they die from dehydration or starvation they just come back again." The male voice cringes audibly at the mention of IA's resurrection ability.

Haku glances at IA on her screen, sobbing quietly, now awake, trying to drink her own tears. "We don't need to be cruel."

"But Master, they're our enemies. They'll kill all of existence…"

"Have you ever heard the expression, 'kill them with kindness?'" Haku smirks, her mouth spreading into a snake-like expression.

"Yes Master Haku. Right away." The intercom buzzes, fading offline.

Haku places her chin in her hand and watches guards enter one of the rooms. She clicks the screen closed and focuses on Subject Two's footage solely. Haku drinks the last of her coffee, tasting the last drop of cream on her tongue.

"IA… pretty name for a demon…"

The door to the cell on her screen opens and a figure tumbles in, landing on its side on the floor in a crumbled mass. Haku watches the girl on the bench go rigid, and jump to her feet, perched on top of the bench. The figure on the floor stays in the same place, unmoving. "IA…"

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

IA gulps, bringing her fist up to her chest, pressing it just under her throat. She shifts uncomfortably, watching the form on the floor before her. The sun had set a while ago, and pale moonlight falls in through her barred window. She longs for the world outside of it, just to be there, and nowhere else, but with the people she loves so much. The people she's come to recognize as her family.

But that's not reality, and IA has no desire to live her life in her imagination anymore. It hurts to ignore the crying of the world. But it hurts to face the screams.

She forces herself to speak, her voice croaking out a little lamely. "H-hello?"

Her eyes widen with surprise as the figure jumps and tenses with surprise. IA watches patiently and a little scared as the figure slowly unravels, slowly sitting up. The figure is wearing white knee-length shorts and a matching-paper thin and torn white T-shirt. A scraggly mop of hair sits silhouetted on its head.

IA gulps, stepping forward off of the bench and extending her hand slowly outwards. "It's okay… I won't hurt you…"

The figure slowly staggers into the moonlight and its features are illuminated. His hair is scraggly and chin length. It's a pale, moonlight blonde color and falls down just past the boy's shimmering crimson eyes. He is the same height as IA, almost a little taller. His arms and legs are bony and scraggly, his clothes old and worn as they dangle around his frame. His expression is genuinely shocked, a mixture of terror and surprise.

He extends his arm out to IA's slowly and just as their fingers are nearly touching he speaks. "Y-your eyes…they're the same… as mine…" His voice is sweet and childish.

IA feels the palpable fear seeping from the boy as he reaches out to her. Her fingers close gently around his and she steps forward a little. The boy cringes a little, as if expecting to be beaten.

"It's okay… I'm not going to hurt you…" Her voice is sweet and milky but the boy doesn't relax the slightest bit.

"…your eyes… are… like these cursed eyes of mine…" His voice is still shaking with terror.

IA nods, stepping a tiny bit closer. The boy inhales sharply, his breath becoming ragged and a little strained. He looks like he's about to collapse into a bawling mess.

"They aren't cursed… they're just..." IA stands, entranced by his question… no, entranced by him.

IA steps forward a little suddenly and the boy cringes sharply, turning his head to the side and clenching his eyes tightly shut. He bites into his lip and pulls away from her touch. He shudders. IA breathes in sharply and suddenly, a determined expression surfacing on her childish face. She lurches forward suddenly, gripping the boy by the wrists and pulling him into her arms.

He doesn't even fight her, but rather stays in her embrace, his red eyes now ignited into a more luminous red. His mouth is slightly open and IA pulls him closer into her arms.

She leans in to his ear, smiling warmly. "It's okay… don't be afraid of the dark anymore… it's not scary if people are there with you." IA speaks as if it's more to herself than the boy.

She feels him tense up and then relax like an ocean crashing into the rocks once again. Then the boy leans into IA with his full weight, and unable to hold him anymore, even as skinny as he is, they both collapse to the floor. Him on top of her. IA loses her breath with one giant whoosh and the boy lets go of his.

IA hears whimpering above her as the boy with an agonizingly slow pace wraps his frail arms around her tiny waist.

Soon her sweat shirt is entirely soaked though but she doesn't move besides the gentle strokes she makes on the boy's head. Just like Len had done to her when she was afraid. It seemed to work now, too. Lying there on the floor a thought came to IA as she was buried under the boy's sobs.

She wonders if Len had looked upon her like this.

With hope**.  
**


	2. Brave Face

**Hi everybody, Tiru-chan here! **

**So, before I begin this chapter I have a few things to kind-of clear up for everyone. In the shipping area of this story, I won't announce any pairings yet, you'll have to wait and see, but I will completely kill one. There is absolutely none, and never will be any Len X IA in this story. Len is fourteen and IA is seven. Just gross! It's more of a sibling or parental relationship that they have than anything, just thought I would get that out of the way. And to one of my guest reviewers, to clear something up, this story is based off of IA's A Tale of Six Trillion Years and An Overnight's Story, pretty loosely. I've kinda run pretty far with it. Hahaha! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!  
**

**`Black White and Superstitious **

**`zhane 17**

**`awesome dt**

**`Icelandic Puffin Cat**

**`Thestrangedoor 9**

**` The Awkward Neko  
**

**`iDontCare**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~39~X_

It has been hard, that's not a surprise. But what has been a surprise is how she'd been able to control herself. But now, alone, it was okay.

Miku drops down to her knees, staring up at the sky. It looks the same as it had that day… her eyes burn with the warmth of tears and as she blinks her eyes, once again she finds herself crying. Alone. Well that part isn't entirely true, after all Miku has Len, and Rin, and Gumi, and Oliver, and IA…

IA… Miku begins to choke on the air she hadn't realized that she had been holding. The tears that come gushing from her flow like a waterfall, a downpour of emotion.

Everyone had felt the impact of that day… even the usually stoic Rin and the unreadable Gumi. Len and Oliver had undoubtedly taken it the hardest. Miku remembers walking away that day, her face buried into Len's side. The first time she'd ever seen him cry. Rin had cried to… somehow her tears had hurt more than anyone else's. Oliver didn't cry… no, Oliver didn't feel at all. He walked along like the world wasn't even there anymore, as if it never had been, or as if it was all over for him. Gumi was different, Gumi was… blank. But everyone takes grief differently.

Miku hasn't slept in days, she's simply passed her time by thinking about what her life could be like… but dreams only reach so far. If her eyes were normal, if she could just die like everyone else… maybe the world wouldn't be this cruel. Eventually she saw an opening to be alone and decided to come out here.

It is… overwhelming to say the least. She hadn't had much time to process anything, let alone deal with what had happened. Not to Yuki, IA, or Miki, but what had happened to… _her._

Miku gulps, pressing her palm flat against her chest as if waiting for something to rise out of her throat and choke her utterly. Warm tears roll down her face. She is so sick of crying. Because it's all she can do. Rin had saved her from… whatever it was inside of her but what if she wasn't there? What if Rin isn't there if it happens again? Miku shudders, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders.

The weather had begun to get colder the farther North they traveled. Right now they are all camped out in some "Luxury Cabin" instead of their RV Rin and Gumi stole together.

Miku looks back up at the sky, her only indication that the sun has begun setting is the tiny pink tint peeking out from behind the gaps in the storm clouds. Miku stands, zipping up her grey hoodie and pulling her scarf closer around her face. They haven't had much time to do anything about clothes, so Miku is still in her filthy mini-skirt and tank-top, but after mentioning something about it to Gumi, the green haired girl had showed up the next morning with a brand new grey hoodie, the kind without strings or pockets. Miku loves it.

Gumi is nice, Miku guesses, walking back up the trail to the cabin off in the distance. She seems to really be trying, although Miku can never get a read on her emotions. Miku is pretty good at picking up on the emotions of other people, but can't on Gumi. It's all just so… blank.

Miku shivers a little, staring down at the goose bumps on her legs. She walks on, slowly uphill. For just a moment, out of the corner of her eye, Miku thinks she sees something blue. But then it disappears, and with a dry, shuddering, sigh she walks on.

Miku has to admit, as bizarre as Gumi is, she's incredibly useful. Within the first day or two after everything that happened, with everyone still in a depressing and festering daze, Gumi had found this place. Within two hours she had hacked the computer system that this luxury-private camping resort runs on, picked the largest and most stocked cabin, rented it under the owner's credit cards and ID's, lied flawlessly to the manager, saying her parents owned a cabin and for her birthday they booked a vacation for her and her friends, and caught the alert email going to the owners saying that their daughter had checked in before it was sent. Her computer skills are incredible, and to be frank, dumfound Miku.

The cabin comes into view. It would be almost a lie to call the place a cabin, or camping grounds, because it runs like a resort where each person owns their own "cabin". The cabins are built like small condos, with working appliances run on solar power only, heated water, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, one master bedroom, TV, wi-fi, a fully stocked kitchen, hardwood and carpet floors, all complete with a fireplace, patio, and indoor spa. It must cost millions of dollars, Miku thinks to herself as she approaches their cabin on the very outskirts of the resort. Whatever millionaire owns the place, Miku is eternally grateful to.

The group's cabin is very large, to Miku's scale, but yet is one of the smallest ones on the property. The walls are made out of the classical massive tree-trunk looking wood boards, but the majority of the surface area is made out of a durable glass. You may ask how Miku knows it's durable. Well, that's because the first thing Gumi did when they got to the cabin, was pace the entire perimeter, bashing her crowbar against each window. Very hard, if Miku may add. The patio stems off of the sliding glass door, which leads right into the kitchen, where everyone expects Miku to be right now. As she approaches she jogs a little faster, her legs still weak from her time spent in confinement.

She is looking healthier now, not as pale anymore, and not as bony, but after the past week, her eyes have reverted back to looking sunken and a little dull, her voice sounds a little hollow to herself, but no one else seems to have noticed.

Miku gently pulls off her shoes and lies them beside the other's on the patio. Rin's black combat boots lie in a corner, one fallen off the patio and one still on, tipped over from where she kicked it. Len's are beside hers, standing up next to each other, but still crooked. Gumi's are little grey ankle-length boots with two buckles on each side, the right shoe, however, is entirely different than the left. It is a bright red sneaker with filthy white laces, worn to a dark brown and grey. Oliver's shoes are lying down on top of each other. They are two grey sneakers, one with a tiny splatter of blood on the toe. Miku bends and wipes it off after setting her own black, slip on sneakers beside his. She turns and hurries inside the cabin.

The kitchen is relatively small, but it functions nicely. Miku slips in quietly, locking the door behind her like she was taught. On the counter rests a blue, square shaped tea pot on a wooden tray with six cups. Miku takes the sixth cup off the tray, setting it on the counter beside the sink carefully. Rin and Len's shouts travel into the kitchen. Miku takes the pot off of the stove as it hisses. She had made sure to set it there before she left, so it would be warm by the time she came back. Miku picks up the pot with her bare hands and scalds her delicate skin. She jumps back, cramming her fingers in her mouth.

She is confused. Miku knows it needs to be warm in order for her to make tea, but this isn't warm. It burns. How did it even get so warm? Was the stove top magic? How does she turn it off? Why is the pot hot? If it's this hot how is she going to get it off the stove? If she can't get it off and it just sits there, will it light on fire? When does she know to pull the tea bag out? What if she spills the tray and it burns again, and then she falls on the glass and the cups break?!

Miku stands a little petrified, about to yell for Len. But no, that will worry Len…

_I can't worry Len…_ Miku thinks to herself. Now with renewed determination Miku moves back over to the stove. She inhales deeply, gripping the burning hot pot and pulling it off the stove. She hurriedly sets it on the tray and pulls her hands away fast, staring at her burning skin with tears forming in her eyes.

_No, I can't cry. It'll upset Len…_ Miku sniffles. She opens the pantry and searches for a caffeine free tea. Her red eyes land on a tea bag with a blend of black teas with the label, HIGH CAFFEINE. Miku gulps. She picks up that bag and then a bag of plain green tea. She puts the green tea bag in the pot after filling her cup with warm water and putting the caffeinated bag in.

"So… caffeine huh? I didn't take your for a caffeine person." A voice says from behind Miku. She gasps, spinning around, embarrassed. Gumi stands, leaning against the counter behind her, hands folded over her chest. She is wearing a see through white tank top over a grey exercise bra. She has on grey and baggy, knee length pajama pants with a string on the front. Her feet are bare and her crowbar is lying on the counter behind her. She's been there for a while.

"S-sorry…"

"'Bout what?" Gumi asks, blowing some hair out of her face.

"… just… because I…" Miku sputters quietly, playing with the rapidly healing scabs on her palms from the tea pot.

"Because you left?" Gumi responds for her, raising an eye brow. Miku gasps, turning away her head so her eyes are hidden. She nods as her shoulders sink and she pulls her scarf over her mouth. "You've been crying too. And I watched you burn your hands. You're making caffeinated tea because you haven't been sleeping since IA and Miki were taken and Yuki died." The way Gumi says everything so bluntly sends shivers down Miku's spine and makes her feel as if she's going to burst out crying again. Her shoulders begin to quake as she holds her breath so she doesn't cry.

"How'd you know?" Miku asks so softly that anyone else wouldn't have heard.

"Miku, I see everything. I may not have your 'demon glare', but nothing goes unnoticed to me." Gumi says, her voice taking a soft turn as she moves slowly over to Miku. "You don't want to worry anyone, so you haven't been saying anything, and you've been trying to handle things on your own. Miku, you're crumbling. You're trying so hard not to, I can see that, but you are anyways, there are some things that you can't escape, some things just have to be dealt with." Gumi takes Miku's hands off of her eyes and holds them in hers. Even though Gumi is almost a foot shorter Miku finds herself walking into her arms and leaning her head on Gumi's shoulder. "You don't think you're strong enough or brave enough, but you _are. _And this is proof of it. Just the fact that you've been trying this hard to be independent and not worry anyone is amazing, Miku. You're so brave, you just need someone to tell you that." Gumi says as she begins to feel her shoulder get wet.

"I-I-I'm n-not… I c-couldn't do anything…" Miku sobs quietly with shuddering breaths.

"You did do something, you held out. That's amazing, Miku. You were amazing, and you still are. So please stop crying." Gumi holds her a little tighter. "Uh, seriously stop crying you're making me uncomfortable." Gumi shies out of Miku's grasp, picking up her crowbar and leaving the kitchen back into the living room where Len and Rin are still shouting furiously in some sort of heated argument.

Miku wipes the last of her tears away and stands slowly, picking up her tea tray and carrying it out into the living room. On the coffee table is a massive map with large red and black pen marks everywhere on it. Rin hovers close to Len, shouting in his face.

"No, we were _here _in February!" She shouts loudly.

"No, we were _here!_" Len yells back, an exasperated look on his face as he presses his thumb into his temple and mutters something Miku can't hear. Rin looks even angrier.

"Oh _really? _Why don't you say that so _everyone _can hear?"

"I said you were being annoying, Rin, and that you needed to go calm down." Len repeats louder. Gumi holds her breath to stop from snickering. She's sitting on the couch's arm and Oliver is sprawled out, face down, seemingly asleep on the same couch.

"Fine! Be an asshole is you want…" Rin mutters bitterly, standing up and storming out of the room. The sun had already set and the moon was becoming bright in the sky. Miku sets her tray down on the coffee table where Len still sits, wrapped in thought. She hands him a cup and moves to sit where Rin was, beside him.

"What are you talking about?" Miku asks gently.

Len sighs dryly. "Me and Rin were trying to pin point the locations of the 'facilities' where… where IA and Miki could be." At the mention of their names Len cringes, his shoulders sagging.

Miku wants to comfort Len, but isn't sure how. She puts on a brave face and moves a little closer. He looks at her out of the corner of his eye and notices the dark circles under Miku's.

"Are you okay?" He asks her, sitting up and moving away from "map mode".

Miku thinks for a moment before answering. She doesn't want to concern Len, but doesn't want to bottle up like Gumi warned her. Afraid, her voice croaks out the opposite thing she wanted to say.

"N-no…" For a moment Len notices the fear in her eyes. Then an image of the Miku Len pulled out of that terrible cell flashes through his mind, and guilt pulls at his heart. His eyes soften and he lifts his arms, pulling Miku into him. Her head lands clumsily on his shoulder.

The sweet smell of honey suckle and cinnamon floods Miku and without warning she bursts into tears, gripping Len as tight as she can. Oliver moves his head up from the couch cushion and sighs, lying back down moments later.

"Aw come on, don't be so mopey. It's sweet." Gumi says to Oliver, smiling a little. Her expression changes and she sticks out her tongue distastefully. "Okay, a little sickly sweet, but sweet none the less."

Oliver mumbles in response and turns over, his head facing the back of the couch.

"I-I couldn't help you… I couldn't help anyone. Gumi… Gumi said I was brave but… I'm not." Miku cries helplessly into Len's shoulder like a child.

"No, Miku, you're so brave. You're so, so, brave. You're the bravest person I've ever met in my life! You've survived and been through so much… you're braver than me." Len comforts her.

"Really?" Miku asks.

"Yes."

"Braver… than Len?" Miku says out loud, her sobs finally subsiding.

"Yes. Braver than me." What no one in the room could see was the tears that started to form in Len's eyes. He hid them behind his brave face, and buried himself in Miku. She is the brave one.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

Luka sighs, splashing water on her face. In the bathroom mirror, through the thick layer of fog, even her face didn't look so bad. It looked terrifying.

"Luka?" A voice calls from the other side of the door. "Are you still in there?"

"Yes."

The voice is quiet. "Okay."

Luka turns off the water of the sink and steps out of the bathroom. She wasn't even doing anything anyways, just sitting in the steam made her feel a little better. No, not better, it made her feel numb.

She moves out of the bathroom and past Gakupo into the kitchen. Don't get the wrong idea here, this wasn't a relationship. The knight after everything that had happened with Kaito, no one really wanted to be alone. That's the only reason Luka let Gakupo into her apartment. She hadn't really wanted to be alone either. Her fingers play with a now lit cigarette and she relaxes into her couch, sighing.

Luka has work in three hours.

Three hours.

Three hours…

She stands, grabbing her purse off of the kitchen counter and placing her cigarette in between her teeth.

"Where are you going?" Gakupo asks a little worried as he watches Luka throw on her jacket.

"I'm going to work." Luka says smirking, closing her door behind her.


	3. Run

_X~40~X_

Do you know those dreams where you're running as fast as you can, not because you're afraid, or because something's coming after you, but you're running because you _can._ You're running for the sheer joy of it, just because you can run. Running just so you can feel the wind in your hair, and grass between your toes. Just running because it's so right. And then you wake up and you realize that you were asleep.

And you never got anywhere at all.

IA utters a smile whine like yawn, tightening her grasp around a familiar object and then relaxing her muscles. The warmth of the sunlight licking her cheeks is comforting and all she wants to do is go back to sleep. She keeps her eyes tightly closed and inhales deeply. She can sleep forever like this, wrapped around Len.

IA breathes in, inhaling cinnamon and honeysuckle.

But it isn't cinnamon and honeysuckle. No, in fact it smells metallic, a little like dried blood. The strands of hair in her face that aren't hers smell like mildew and a little bit like dust. As much as she's afraid to, IA opens her eyes.

Her forehead is pressed up against someone else's, someone is curled up into almost a ball shape in her arms. Their legs overlap, and Len's jacket is nearly falling off of her shoulders. IA opens both of her eyes, and is greeted by large, mirror images of even brighter red ones. She leaps back, yelping with surprise. The boy from the night before shrinks immediately, pressing himself up against the wall and using his hands to cover his face. He brings his knees up under his chin and holds his breath, waiting.

IA watches attentively, not moving a muscle. The boy slowly unravels himself, still tense and awaiting physical retaliation from the fragile little girl.

"Hello." IA says, smiling and raising her hand slowly to wave. The boy studies her then finally speaks, mirroring IA's tone and hand gesture almost exactly.

"Hello."

"My name's IA. What's yours?" IA asks, practicing her communicating like Len showed her.

"IA…" The boy repeats softly, tasting her name. "…name… my… name?" IA nods. "What name?"

"You know, what you're called." IA prompts, rocking onto her knees and leaning forward like a cat, scooting forward a little. The boy still tenses, shrouding away. But still, he cowers a little less.

The boy pauses for a long time before responding carefully, as if his words would decide his fate. "Subject One."

"That's not a name!" IA giggles, approaching just a little bit, her movement a little unnoticeable. The boy notices it though and gulps slightly.

"It's what I'm called." As if shifting back into his voice, the boy's speech flows more comfortably, speaking a little more naturally. It still sounds clumsy and strained.

"That's not your name… that's…" IA pauses, not knowing how to answer any further. Len never explained this. How are they different? She is so confused. IA uses her finger to draw in the dust on the floor. After a moment of deep concentration, IA looks up, eyes pressuring the boy.

The floor says:

_A__I __ Z_

_IA_

The A and the I are crossed out, nearly scribbled away.

"See? That's my name. Len taught me to write it." IA smiles at the boy.

"Len?" He asks carefully. IA gulps, after unintentionally making herself sad.

"He'll save me. Lenny will save me, because he promised. He'll save you too."

"Save me?" The boy asks, confused but intrigued, slowly pushing out of his shell.

"Save you, from this." IA gestures around her head.

"This…" The boy thinks, pausing for a long time.

IA bends down over her writing in the dust, watching the letters as if they'll speak to her. The white haired boy, after being lost in thought for a long moment, looks back up at IA to find that she has been staring at him for quite some time.

"What is it?" She asks, waiting for something.

"What is… it?"

"Your name. You haven't picked it yet. That's why I wrote my letters, so you could pick the ones that you like." IA smiles widely.

The boy thinks for even longer this time before his eyes flash with a bright glint and a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile creeps across his lips for a fraction of a second.

"IA." The boy says.

"Nuh-uh! That's my name!" IA whines. With her voice having have become suddenly loud and shrill, the boy jumps back, as far as he can into the wall, a little terrified.

"It's mine too." The boy says after calming down for a minute or two.

"We can't both have the same name! It doesn't make… sense." IA can't find the words she's looking for.

"But you told me I couldn't be Subject One…" the boy frowns a little, still obviously scared.

"Hmm…" IA bends over her work, staring down at her writing on the floor. Bellow her name she draws with her thumb, SUBJECT ONE. She thinks for a long time, bent over in deep concentration. IA scowls until suddenly, her eyes snap open, brightened. "I have your name!"

The boy flinches, curling up. This time he relaxes faster and resumes watching the strange girl before him. IA points at the I in her name.

"You said you wanted to be IA, but you can't, 'cause I am. So, I took this letter…" IA points at the O in Subject One, and draws it next to an I. "My I plus your O, IO!"

"IO…" The boy trails off. "I l-like it." IA smiles at him, reaching out and gripping his hands in hers. He flinches and squints his eyes closed. IA holds his hands, waiting for him to relax. Gradually he does and eases a little.

"It's okay! I won't hurt you like the bad people do!" IA scoots up next to him, her back against the wall now too. Her chains rattle as she moves, scarring IO. IA frowns, poking at the chains with her finger.

"… Why… do you have those?" IO chooses his words very carefully as he begins to sink into talking more comfortably. IA shrugs playing with a loose string on Len's jacket. She doesn't remember how she ended up with it, but she is grateful she has it now.

Something catches IO's eye and his blood runs cold. His hands shake in IA's and she notices, looking up at his face. His eyes flash a deep red and he whimpers. IA follows his gaze to the door of the cell. In front of it sits two plastic cups. Each one is filled nearly to the brim with water. IA's eyes brighten and she rushes forward, grabbing both cups. IO shies away, pressing himself up under the bench as tight as he can.

IA stares into the water, a reflection of her blood caked and pale face dancing on its surface. She moves over slowly to the bench, her chains rattling. She sets the cups on top of it, and lies down, her cheek pressed up against the cement floor. She is now eye to eye with IO.

"Hi." She says with a weak smile. IO says nothing, still shaking under the bench awaiting some kind of torture. His eyes are clenched shut. IA reaches out her hand and lightly touches his. Instantly he pulls away, but IA grips him a little tighter. Her touch is gentle and kind. IO slowly eases, opening one eye after a few minutes pass. "Hi." She repeats. "You can trust me. I won't hurt you, IO. I'm not one of them. I don't hurt." IO slowly crawls out from under the bench and sits in front of IA, still pressed against the wall.

IA picks up the cup on the bench and sets it in between them. IO flinches a little.

"This is water." IA says, putting her finger into the water. "This is a cup." She touches the side of the plastic. "Neither will hurt you."

"I know what water is…" IO trails off, frowning. IA reaches for his hand and he suddenly pulls away. He relaxes after a moment and lets IA hold him by the wrist. She gradually extends his left hand forward. With her other hand she picks up one of the cups. Water splashes into IO's palm and he nearly screams, jumping back and smashing his head against the wall brutally. He scrambles away to the opposite end of the room and curls up into fetal position on the ground, pushing his head into his knees. IA sighs.

She stands, taking the cup with her, and walks over to IO. She bends down in front of him.

"Hi." She says.

"Hi…" He repeats through choking on dry tears. "… sorry…", he mumbles as if testing to see if it was the right word to use.

"Don't be, I shouldn't have scared you." IA says, disappointed. IO is silent. She reaches out for the same hand and IO lets her. She looks at his palm. It is entirely pale, almost more so than Miku's skin was. IA thought that he was tan, but he is literally so covered in dirt and dust that his skin is four shades darker.

IA pulls a piece of torn fabric off of her bloody shirt and folds it up. She dunks it in the water and slowly and gently moves it across the rest of his arm. IO, at first, recoils, then relaxes without raising his head. He's tense, but not fighting her. After a few minutes both of his arms are entirely clean except for a few splotches. IA moves to his legs after re-dunking the rag. She cleans up to his knees and then stops. She reaches for his head and IO flinches. IA waits for him to raise it on his own. He does, and IA slides her hand under his cheek. IO tenses as she moves the cloth across his face until it is the same ghastly pale as the rest of his body.

"There." She smiles at him. IO nods a little in acknowledgement.

IA picks up the cup and puts it to her lips, taking in the last few swigs of water left in it. IO watches with curiosity.

"You… eat it?"

"Drink it." IA corrects, rushing over to get the other cup. Her chains smack loudly against the floor as she comes back, sitting crisscrossed in front of IO. He mimics her position. She puts the cup in his hands, even though every part of her screams to swallow it herself.

IO slowly raises the cup to his mouth. Water trickles in. His eyes widen in surprise as some rolls out of the corners of his mouth. Within seconds the entire cup is empty, half spilled down his front.

"I… remember now…" Suddenly his eyes flash an intense shade and then they dull rapidly. He turns his head away from IA, looking at the ground. IA moves to sit next to him and they sit like that for a while until the sun has fully risen. IA guesses it's about ten in the morning now.

IO shivers. IA sits up, looking at him intently. The cold water has soaked into his clothes now, gradually making him colder. IA thinks for a moment.

Reluctantly she removes one arm of Len's jacket. She wraps around one of IO's arms, and pulls him closer to her side. He flinches, then relaxes, quicker than ever this time. IA moves the other side of the jacket around his shoulder. They're both small enough to fit comfortably under one jacket, each wearing one arm.

"It's… warm…" IO whispers quietly. IA feels her eyes getting heavy and her head falls on his shoulder not long after, asleep.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"IA… IA…" The voice calling to her is a little frantic and she forces her eyes open. IO hovers over her, a terrified expression on his face. IA murmurs something softly and a loud noise echoes throughout the room. Out of her peripheral vision she watches the door to their cell ease open slowly.

Instincts kicking in IA reaches out, grabbing IO around the waist and pulling him into her. She eases up into a crouching position protectively, gripping him. He shudders. Len's jacket still hangs around her and she inhales deeply, drawing courage from Len's lingering scent. This is what he would do if she was him and IO was her.

"_I'll be like Len." _She decides.

The door fully opens and in it stand two guards. One is a very tall and masculine male. His eyes are a sharp brown and his hair is a blazing red. It is naturally spiked and around his shoulders is a white lab coat. His pants are simple and black and his shoes are bulky dress shoes. He is shorter than the other guard, even at his astonishing height. The next guard is even taller and more muscular. He is wearing a dark purple long-sleeve shirt with black dress pants and the same shoes as the red-head. His face is hidden by a black mask. IA shivers at its familiarity. It is the same mask that the men who attacked her at Miki's house wore. The men who attacked Len…

It is a dark, durable looking mask with small eye holes. It has no mouth. The nose is pointed, thin, and hooked like a bird's beak. The rest of the man's head is hidden by a purple hood connected to the jacket, and the sides of the mask. This man is holding a cattle prod and a leather bag.

"IA…" IO whimpers.

"Shh." She says a little forcefully.

The red haired man nods to the guard and the guard walks forward. He stands just in the doorway beside the hook where IA's chains are nailed in. His hands grip the chains and he pulls, hard. IA instantly slides forward, leaving IO behind. He shudders in the corner under Len's jacket, his face etched with an expression of horror. With two more pulls the masked man is gripping the thrashing IA by the shoulders, struggling to slide the bag over her head.

"Please! IA!" IO screams from inside the room. The last thing IA sees before the bag is slid and tied over her head is his pale face with tears in his eyes.

"Walk." The guard says as the door bangs shut behind them, leaving IO behind. IA stumbles forward. Her wrists are tied together with a new set of chains that the man is holding out in front of him.

She marches forward steadily, her bare feet hitting the freezing cold floor. After a few minutes of walking and tension filled silence she is ordered to stop. A large door opens in front of her with a large and metallic clang. She moves in. Her chains are disconnected and the bag is lifted from her head. IA spins around to watch the door close behind her, shrouding her in total darkness. Her heart begins to pound out of her chest.

"No… no… not the dark… not the rats not the dark... Len… Len-voice…" IA's words begin to slur drastically as her panic seeps in.

Suddenly florescent bulbs flash on above her. The room is quite small and before her is a table, like the ones you would find at a doctor's office. Only this one is bolted to the floor, and three masked people are around it.

IA gulps, scared, but a little grateful to be out of the dark.

"Get on the table." A masked woman's voice says.

IA thinks carefully before responding. "No."

"We will force you to get onto the table if you will not yourself."

IA walks forward slowly and reaches up. She tugs herself with much difficulty onto the table. Immediately two of the three guards clasp her wrists into built in metal cuffs on the sides of the table. The same is done to her ankles. The female guard turns around. When she comes back into IA's field of vision she is holding a needle full of a creamy white liquid. She pushes the needle into IA's arm and suddenly the world blurs. Her head is filled with a sickly sweet scent and her stomach lurches into her throat. Suddenly everything goes numb and IA finds herself in a dreamless sleep. Again.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Walk." A gruff voice commands. IA feels herself get pulled off of the ground. Sounds around her are distorted and muffled, but she tries to make out what she can. Upon opening her eyes she is greeted by a wall of darkness. Her stomach lurches.

After a few minutes IA hears the eerily familiar clang of a heavy door opening and she is pushed roughly inside a large, open space. The bag is ripped off of her head and IA finds herself flailing in the air. She crashes into the ground painfully.

"Stand." A different voice commands.

IA wearily gets to her feet, still loopy from the heavy sedative. She notices something. She is wearing different clothes than before. Instead of the striped shirt and pink skirt she loved so much she is now dressed in something horrifyingly similar. She has on a paper thin white dress that reaches down to her knees. It is similar to something a hospital patient would wear.

Before her are four guards and the red haired lab coat man as well as the white haired speech-giving woman. She is also wearing a lab coat.

Haku sighs, watching IA's confused face.

Before IA is what seems to be a large obstacle course. Part of it is constructed like a maze, the other half on the other side of the maze is filled with obstacles like a netted wall for her to climb over and different jumps for her to make.

One of the guards marches forward, grabbing IA by the shoulder. He pushes her to the entrance of the maze and jabs her sharply in the back with his cattle prod.

"Run. You will be timed. At the end of this test there will be another. You will not start the next test until the buzzer sounds. You will receive a brief resting period after the course of the nine tests are completed. Then you will complete them twice more. Water will be served at the end of each course of tests. Do you have any questions?" The red haired man says.

IA pauses. "When do I get to go back to IO?"

"That information is classified. Do you understand all that is expected of you?"

"…yes."

"Begin Test One." The red haired man shouts. A buzzer sounds from somewhere and IA takes off running.

Haku turns to the red haired man once IA is out of sight, disappeared amongst the swathes of the maze. "Do you have the results?"

The man nods, taking a clip board from a masked assistant and handing it to Haku. "What about our blood samples?" She asks.

"We have concluded that it is impossible to retain a viable specimen of the Demon Child's blood."

"What?" Haku asks bitterly and a little surprised.

"Permission to continue?" The man asks.

"Whatever." Haku groans.

"Their blood does not stay in a liquid state after the regeneration process is complete. The regeneration process's time is dictated by the severity of the cause of death. Once the body has repaired itself the blood simply evaporates, leaving behind nothing but a stain. Our best scientists have concluded that no matter the size of the stain it is impossible to draw any sort of information from it, the chemical make-up having completely disintegrated. The stain is simply comprised of the same components as regular, human blood. It is also unable to distinguish what blood type the stain is. It seems to have no type although it is comprised of the same chemicals and structure as human blood." The man explains robotically.

"Thanks, Akaito." Haku sighs, pressing her palm to her temple and pushing in. "Can you finish up here? I have a speech I need to make up and read before noon." Haku walks out of the room, silver hair swishing behind her.


	4. Caution

**Moshi moshi, Minna!  
**

**I'm sick (again. =.=) so I figured I'd post this chapter a little early. New character! Yay for that! I'll put the character pole back up at the end of this chapter too, I know one of you asked for it, so I gladly will!**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_

* * *

_X~41~X_

A school bell blares loudly with a sharp and reverberating ring. A boy grunts under his breath, tipping his head and sighing. His eyes travel downwards to his paper with its margins covered in childish doodles. The lead of his pencil gently dances along the outline of a long katana blade with elaborate and small handle embroidery.

"Oi, are you coming to the speech later today?" A girl with a deep voice asks.

"No."

The girl chuckles, "You going straight home then?"

"Yeah."

"I'll walk with you." The boy lifts his head. The girl at the desk next to his has already stood up, and now stands at her full height, stretching. Her hair is scraggly and untamed, pulled into two twin black shoulder length pig tails. The left one is held by a red ribbon, the blue right one is held by a blue ribbon. Her eyes two different colors, a deep blue and a vibrant gold. The school uniform is a long sleeve beige colored sweat shirt with a bleach white tie and a matching white skirt for the girls. The boys have grey dress pants instead.

"No."

The girl scoffs as chairs scrape against the concrete as other students begin to stand. "Why?"

"Because." The boy stands, light pink hair falling in his eyes.

"Yuma!" The girl whines.

"Bye, Ruko." The tall and lean boy with pink hair stands as the teacher at the front of the room speaks.

"All right students, your homework is to prepare a two page study guide covering the materials from pages one hundred and six through one hundred and fifty two. Your quiz will be tomorrow, and don't forget about the field trip into the upper floors on Sunday. Students that are not outside the North West wing of the building by nine AM will be left behind. Uniform is required."

The speaker in the class room hisses to life with a robotic voice, "Good afternoon, Students. Reminder, high school track will begin in thirty minutes in the east wing gym. Your teacher will now lead you in the afternoon prayer."

In unison the man over the intercom and the teacher at the head of the class, and all the bored looking students in the room begin to chant methodically.

"Lord banish the demons that walk among the land,

And the creatures that dwell within the sea,

Grant the Masters power by thy hand,

Give blessings to my kin, give holy protection to me,

Embrace me in thy tender arms.

Never shall I wander beyond your breadth,

Or stray from the teaching of thy servants,

Keep thy holy protection over my head, and drown the demon glare in your depth,

Oh Lord, grant me protection

For my life is at your feet."

"Have a blessed day, students." The teacher dismisses the buzzing students and they begin to file out of the room like bees, a swarming hive of commotion. The hallways are bleak and white, the only movement is the bobbing heads of teachers and kids.

The pink haired boy walks alongside the ink-black haired girl and she chatters using lots of vulgarity, even though such language is strictly forbidden. A group of chatty and giggling girls by the entrance to the South building turn their heads and giggle even louder as they gaze upon the boy and the cursing girl.

"Hi, Yuma!" They giggle and wave. Yuma turns his head grunting under his breath.

"… and then I was like, 'screw you too, asshole! You'll burn in h-", the boy elbows the girl in the arm sharply, but not hard. She turns, glaring at him, her mouth agape. "What the heck?"

"Keep talking like that your Dad will have it out with you again."

"Don't remind me about that as-", she stops herself and frowns. "Gwah! I hate this! I wish some Watcher would just catch me cussing and feed me to the Demon Children already!" The girl opens the school's main door and the two walk down the steps and out into the florescent lights high above their heads. The ceiling above curves like the sky, a rounded bowl of thick earth held together by pillars and chunks of cement compacted with rock.

"I wish you wouldn't talk like that." The pink haired boy says, sighing dryly. He tugs the lip of his black beanie cap down further.

"Like what? I didn't cuss n'll!" Ruko jumps in the air, pouting and stamping her foot harshly against the ground. She moves over to the bike rack with the boy at her side.

"Talk about the Akuma like that. They don't eat people, Ruko." She stares at him in awe.

"You don't know that." She grumbles, unlocking a blue bike from its chain.

"They don't. I do my research, Ruko. What I can. I've been reading up lately. Did you even see the rally a few days ago?" Yuma's eyes gain a small spark of life.

"Everyone did. It was mandatory."

"That little girl was scared."

"Her eyes were red, I don' care what she was feeling. If I were a bloody demon surrounded by the people of God, I'd be scared shitless. Whoops, did it again." She gets on her bike and adjusts her backpack.

"Yeah." Yuma looks away.

"Stop digging into that stuff, you'll get taken away you know. It isn't good to look to deep into that stuff, you'll get dragged into the agency at an early age. You know what happens to _those _bunch." Ruko makes an eating motion. Yuma growls. "Say hi to your sister for me!"

"Wait, where are you running off to?"

"I'm meeting Rook for dinner." She blushes softly, smiling.

"Figures. Tell him I said hi." Yuma says, raising his hand and walking the opposite direction, passing groups of chatting guys and squealing girls hovering over the newest magazine releases.

The streets that lead away from the school slowly become filled with more people. On either side of the cobblestone rode are small shops and restaurants. To Yuma's left is a crowd of adults, men and women, wearing white, walking in huge throngs to the speech Master Yowane will be giving in a few hours. It's an adult only thing, not that Yuma even cares at this point. He moves with the masses until a large sign outlined in green neon lights that says: C DISTRICT.

The swarms of people slowly thin out until Yuma finds that he is the only one navigating the large neighborhood. A grey brick wall divides four houses on top of the wall and the two forks it separates leads uphill towards more sections of homes. Yuma walks up the right path and then makes a left turn, leading up the front patio of one of the homes on top of the hill framed by the brick wall. A cob web covered bench sits in a melancholy state in the overgrowing grass of the yard, hidden by the shadow cast from the house.

Yuma pushes open the door with ease and sighs, closing it behind him. "I told you to lock the door when Mom and Dad are out." He calls throughout the house as he kicks his shoes off and sets his backpack down by the shoe storage shelf.

"Yeah, yeah!" Footsteps bound down the stairs. A relatively tall girl with hot pink and drastically curled drills lands on the bottom step. A loose fitting sea-green T-shirt and a pair of grey fabric shorts hand loosely off her shoulders. A book is clasped under her arm and she smiles in that playful way that makes Yuma smile. On the inside.

"Teto, honestly. It's not very safe." Yuma undoes his tie and flops down on the brown couch in the living room. He puts his arm over his eyes and mumbles to himself.

"The crime rate hasn't been above two percent since two years ago, Yuma. You over react." Teto opens a can of a fizzy fruit drink and sits beside him.

"Still. You never know what you don't know."

"I got that book you said you wanted…" Her voice trails off a little sadly.

"Really?" Yuma sits up a little straighter. Teto nods, handing him the very old and beaten up leather-covered thin paged book to Yuma. His eyes brighten for a moment.

"It was really hard to get, the whole time I kept describing it to the records clerk she was just staring at me like I was crazy. I ended up finding it though. I said it was a birthday present for you. It kind of is anyways, so enjoy." Yuma takes the book from his sister's hands, gently turning it over. As he flicks through the pages he realizes that it's the wrong book. He already has this one. "Thanks, it's just what I needed." He lies. Teto smiles at him, clapping once. "I'm glad."

Yuma takes the soda can from her and takes a large gulp of it, relaxing into the back of the couch and exhaling deeply. Teto mumbles something.

"What?"

"I said you should probably stop." Teto says loudly, jumping at the sound of her own voice.

"Oh God…" Yuma grumbles, pressing his thumb to his temple.

"Yuma, I know you don't want to stop, but you know what happens to those who dig deep into the foundations of Demon's Crow… I don't want you to end up like that. Please, don't keep doing this." Teto pleads, standing now. Her eyes swim with desperation.

"Teto…"

"Please, at least be careful."

"I always am."

Silence.

"I heard that the school is taking your class into the upper levels on Sunday… that must be exiting." She shifts uncomfortably in her position back on the couch.

"Yeah…" Yuma mumbles, thinking again of what must lie above the city.

"I should go… Ritsu is meeting me to work on our research project." Teto stands, not looking at Yuma at all.

"Make sure to put on your uniform." Teto turns to face Yuma, blushing.

After Teto leaves Yuma rushes upstairs to his room and flops down into his chair before a stack of assorted books and documents. Yuma has always been obsessed with the Demon Children, ever since he was a child. His parents, naturally, were terrified of this obsession and hid it from everyone. Gradually they thought it had faded away but really Yuma had just learned to hide it on his own. Except from his sister, Teto.

People that are enthusiastic about the Demon Children or people that have a rabid fascination, are usually taken from their families and plucked out of their lives at an early age, sent to work at the upper floors or other corporations immediately upon turning fifteen. Yuma still hasn't been taken, and doesn't plan to be. But he doesn't plan to stop either.

He has been waiting his whole life for this trip. Every five years the most advanced class in the school is taken on a two day tour of the upper floors, and Yuma has ensured since he first learned of this trip that he made it into this class. And now he has.

And it's on Sunday.

It's so close his skin boils with pleasure at the thought. He'll finally learn the truth. Even if it kills him.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

By the time IA is let back into her cell it is already past midnight. The next day.

She is spun around suddenly, still dizzy and off set from all her medication and sedatives, she stumbles and flails wildly until crashing painfully into the ground. But she doesn't crash painfully into the floor. IO catches her.

IA rises into a sitting position out of his fragile and twig-like arms. His eyes are blazing with crimson intensity, his mouth is slightly open, startled. IA sits very quietly in front of him, thinking for a long time. Then her mouth opens into a small, half-hearted smile, and tears begin to spill like rain out of her eyes, overflowing and spilling onto her dress. The thick tears roll down her round cheeks and stick to strands of her hair. Her tiny hands ball up and curl around themselves, pushing into her eyes as her crying becomes audible.

IO flails for something to do and he grabs her hand in his, like she did to him. Her eyes, puffy from crying and exhaustion, slowly travel to his. She sees her own teary-eyed reflection in his shimmering pupils, and she cries harder. Her legs won't hold her anymore, and she drops like a weight into him.

"Please don't rain from your eyes anymore, IA…" IO pleads.

"I-I-It's called c-c-crying..." She chokes out in between sobs.

"Don't cry anymore, IA." He corrects himself.

"I don't want to."

"Then don't, please?" IO raises her face to look at her eyes. It's easier to understand people if you're looking at them. IA grips him by the fabric of his torn and stained shirt and buries her face into his chest. Her sobs are muffled this way.

"I'm sorry…" She says a few minutes later, sitting up again. She shudders and nearly passes out, falling back down on top of him. IO wraps his arms under hers and gently, but still roughly pulls her over to the bench. She crawls up on her own and leans against the wall.

"I cried more when… when it was then." IO looks at her face.

"Do you know any stories, IO?" She asks him. He shakes his head. "Sorry… it makes me happier when Lenny would tell me stories…"

"Um… I don't remember any stories." IO looks at his feet, disappointed.

"It's okay. I can tell you one. Len told me this after I met this girl. Her name is Yuki, and I met her at the beach, where there is waves made out of bad-tasting water and the sand is really hot even though the sun has gone out, and she gave me a shell and a towel and then Oliver came and she left with him.

"Rin got mad at me for talking to a stranger, but Len was happy for me. I asked him if he had any friends, 'cause that's what he said Yuki was. And he told me this…

"He said one time, when he was a little taller than me, him and Rin had the best friend ever. He said his name was… Lu... Lui… Yeah, Lui. He said that Lui was really sick and was in those big buildings made with glass walls where sick people that don't heal fast like us go when they're hurt. He said Lui's chest didn't breath on its own and he had legs that didn't work right 'neither. Len said that him and Rin thought everyone healed fast like us do and they were waiting for him to come play with them…" IA yawns, staring off into the distance.

"Did they get up and play together? Did he get all better?" IO asks, intruiged.

IA shakes her head, continuing. "I don't think so. Lenny got really sad then and stopped talking. I think he was tired."

"Did he ever finish the 'story'?" IA shakes her head again. "Then how does it end?"

"I don't know. It doesn't have 'n ending." IA begins to close her eyes.

"Can I make one up?" IO asks, his eyes gleaming. IA looks up at him tiredly and nods her head gently. "Lui got up and played with Lenny and Rei- I mean Rin and they came and played with us too and the people with masked came and played to but they don't hurt no more and we all played forever." IO's face lights up, but IA is silent. He turns to face her and see her reaction. Her head has slowly fallen against the wall and her eyes are closed. Her chest rises and falls gently.

"Well… maybe not forever. Forever's a long time…"

IO finds himself overcome with the same heavy exhaustion and falls asleep, his head on IA's shoulder and Len's jacket falling around them both, wrapping them in gentle warmth.

* * *

**Character Pole:**

**IA- 2**

**IO- [NEW!]**

**Kaito- 1**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Len- 4  
**

**Miku- 5  
**

**Rin- 7  
**

**Oliver- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Gumi- 3**

**Yuma-[NEW!]**

**Teto-[NEW!]**

**Reviews are always appreciated, and thanks for all of your continued reviews and support!**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	5. Quiet Fear

**How nice am I? Very. **

**Two chapters in three days, hopefully it doesn't suck 'cause I wrote it kind-of fast with no time to edit. **

**Thanks to reviewers:**

**`MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan**

**`Black White and Supersticious **

**`Shino No Mikaga No Kudotaka**

**`zhane 17**

**`awesome dt (are you psychic, cause I had already started writing this chapter when I read your review and I was pretty surprised. Great minds think alike I guess! You'll understand what I mean once you finish this chapter, but it addresses something you brought up!)**

**`arosecas4**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_

* * *

_X~42~X_

In the morning there was food. Actual food. IA's heart leapt three feet in the air. _Food! _She couldn't believe it.

IO slowly wakes up beside her. Her moving shoulder bumps his head and in order to avoid any more painful collisions, he sits up.

"IO!" IA shrieks enthusiastically. "Look, food!" She jumps off the bench and careens towards the door. Sitting just by the panel where her chains are nailed, are two white Styrofoam trays. On each tray is a handful of carrots, a handful of what seems to be chips, and a slab of uncooked steak. IA sighs in disappointment.

IO rushes over, hovering just behind her, eyes wide. IA nudges off the meat with her toe and hands the plate to him. He frowns.

"What about that?" He points at the meat.

"We can't eat it, you'll get sick. That's what Lenny says. He says if you eat cold meat it makes you sick." IA walks with him over to the bench. They both set their plates on the bench and sit on the floor facing it, like a very high table.

IO watches IA gently place a carrot on her tongue and bite down. Her mouth closes and her cheeks are still moving. When she reopens her mouth her entire demeanor has changed. She no longer is eating one thing at a time but eating the entire handful at once. Within seconds her plate is empty. IO stares dumbly at his.

Slowly he puts the orange thing in his mouth, just like she did. He thinks that maybe there is some sort of order you have to eat in. The carrot feels like nothing ever has before. His stomach screams for more, _needs _more. His hands fly to the chips now and he fits as many as he can in his mouth at once. IA watches, drooling.

When IO finishes he looks down at the plate in disappointment, seeing that IA hasn't eaten it. In his mind it means you can't, just like what she did with the meat.

IA's eyes begin to water steadily, just because she got to eat like Len taught her. Suddenly Len and Miku and Yuki and Rin and Miki and Oliver and Gumi are the only things she can think about.

"What's wrong?" IO asks, kicking the tray of the bench and climbing up on it.

"I miss…" IA searches for a word.

"Home." IO says.

"Home…? How do you know that word?"

"I don't know… I just… remembered it." His eyes flash with excitement.

"Can you remember other stuff too?" IA asks, leaning forward.

"I'll try…" He gets lost deep in thought. "I remember you… when they put me in here, I remember you were there too…"

"Before that?"

"Mmm… I remember…" His blood suddenly runs cold and he curls up into fetal position, rocking slowly on his feet. IA quickly climbs up and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She nearly jumps on top of him, and lies there, clinging. "I don't want to remember that…" He says after a few moments pass.

"That's okay." IA remembers the orange flower and shudders. "There's stuff I don' like to remember 'neither." A silver haired boy pops in her head and she quickly changes the subject. "Wanna play a game?"

"Game?"

"Yuki taught it to me!"

"Yuki… where is Yuki? Now?"

"Hmm… Probably at home with Miki and Oliver and Len and Rin and Miku and Gumi!" IA says, smiling. IO stands, walking over to IA. "Now… umm… Stand here and wait for-"

With a loud metallic clang the door to the cell slowly begins to pull open. IA jumps back a little, attempting to block IO. Instead IO jumps in front of her, holding his arms out and pressing her flat up against the wall. She doesn't argue or resist. She meekly peeks out from behind his shoulder as blinding florescent light spills into the room. A tall masked figure stands in the doorway next to a scientist with bright red hair.

The masked man bends down and pulls hard on IA's chains. Again she slides out from under IO and slips across the floor into the masked man's arms, but this time IO trots behind her, unwilling to leave her side.

As the bag is slipped over her head IO grips her hand. A bag is thrown over his too, and heavy chains are placed around his wrists.

"Walk." The two, hands still clasped in each other, walk down the hallway for what seems to be an endless period of time. "Stop." A cattle prod is shoved deep into IA's back and flicked on for a second. She screams in agony, shaking all the while. IO grips her hand so tightly that even he gets a jolt of the powerful electricity. He whines incoherently as they hear a door open in front of them. The bags are pulled off of both of their heads and the two are chained into metal chairs in front of a metal desk bolted to the floor. On the other side of the desk are two chairs, unbolted. In one sits Haku, and in the other is Luka.

"You…" IA's voice quivers and she squeezes IO's hand a little.

Luka smirks and waves at IA. "Now, before we begin with today's testing I would like to ask you a few questions…" She glances at the sheet bellow her. "'IA?' What a stupid name."

"It's not stupid, you are!" IO shouts loudly from his position beside IA.

"Watcher," Luka addresses one of the many masked guards around the room, "Kill him."

"No, No please don't-!" IA shouts. As she still grips his hand one of the masked men behind IO lunges forward and plunges a large blade into the very top of his skull. His body jolts with the impact, then his head lolls forward, his eyes dulling. Suddenly they grow blazing and luminescent as trails of blood roll down his white hair, tainting it crimson red. Tears begin to well up at the corner of his eyes and IA squeezes his hand. He turns to look at her for a moment, and the tears dry up. The Watcher pulls the blade out of his head and steps back. IO's head rolls forward again. Then he raises it, and stares at Luka, seething with rage.

"Now, as you can see Demon Children, I am not playing games today. Today I am here to do my job and you are here to be quiet and be the recipient of my work. The first part of my job is to ask you some questions because _Master Haku…_" Her voice seethes audibly at speaking her name, "…believes that you would be most… responsive to my techniques. If mine don't work then well, she'll just have to step in." Haku glances at IA and nods in acknowledgement of Luka's words.

Luka reaches down into a bag beside her chain and takes out a folder. In the folder are an assortment of documents and pictures. Luka pulls out a small map and unfolds it, lying it down on the table in front of IA. "Can you show me where you were staying before we caught up with you?" IA glances at all the confusing lines and colors and shakes her head.

"I don't know."

"Are you very, very sure of that?" Luka presses. IA nods. Luka folds and puts away the map. Next out of the folder she pulls out a small leather back notebook and sets it in front of IA. "Do you recognize this notebook?"

IA pauses and thinks for a long time. "I don't know."

"Is that a yes, or a no?" Luka leans over the table, frustrated.

"I don't know." IA becomes frantic.

"Yes or no?" Luka shouts. Haku's hand shoots out and grips Luka strongly by the shoulder. She pushes Luka back into her chair and addresses IA and IO directly.

"All Luka is asking of you is whether you've seen this journal before or not. Take all the time you need to decide." Haku's voice is a gentle monotone. IA thinks for a long time.

"I don't think so…"

"So no?" Luka snaps back. Haku glares at her, then turns back to IA.

"Good. That's all we needed to know. Luka, care to present the next question?"

Luka picks up Lapis' notebook and pushes it back into the folder. The next thing she pulls out is a series of pictures. She lines the four pictures out along the edge of the table.

"Tell me if you know any of these people."

The first picture is of a boy with shoulder length, curly, sandy blonde hair and a cloth eye patch. The picture is fairly indistinct and there are lots of people in the background. It looks as though the picture was taken from a long ways away. There is smoke in the distance and he seems to be very sad.

IA nods slowly.

"Can you tell me his name?" Luka asks.

"Oliver." IA responds softly, feeling as if she's doing something wrong.

"Last name?" Luka presses.

"What's a 'last name'?" IA asks.

"Never mind. How about the next one?"

The next picture is of a girl with neon blue hair. In the picture the girl is asleep, but IA doesn't need to see her awake to know she doesn't know who she is. IA shakes her head.

"No?" Luka prompts.

"No." IA responds. IO becomes increasingly nervous, tapping his fingers against the arm of the chair and playing with IA's fingers with his other hand.

IA looks at the next picture. It is of a little girl with a rounded face and dark brown pig tails. It is a school picture, like the kind they put in year books. IA squeals with excitement. Luka and Haku exchange a glance and look back at IA. IO has leaned over as far as he can into IA, worried about her.

"It's Yuki!" She cries. "Yuki! Can I see Yuki!?" IA says, smiling very wide.

"I'm sorry, you can't see Yuki right now." Haku says.

"Next one." Luka barks, pointing at the last picture. IA recognizes this type of picture. It's the type of picture criminals take. She saw one on TV with Miku.

The picture is a mug shot of a girl about IA's age. The girl has neon green hair that is scraggly and stained with blood. Her cheeks are dirty and her eyes are sunken, staring off somewhere else. Her mouth is slightly open, as if she was saying something as the picture was taken. Attached to this picture is another one. This picture is a tiny shot taken out of a much larger image. IA can tell by how grainy it looks. This picture is of a girl in a fancy white dress with orange goggles on her head and neon green spikey hair. Behind the girl are many other girls and on the building behind her is a sign that says Megpoid Orphanage.

"Gumi…?" IA asks confused.

"You're identifying this girl clearly as Gumi Megapoid?" Luka asks. IA slowly nods. "I knew it, I knew I'd seen that bitch's face before!" Luka growls happily.

"Luka, control yourself or I will have you removed from the room." Haku warns. Luka seethes at her.

Luka slowly puts the pictures back and removes pictures of three people. She takes out a picture of Len, Rin, and Miku and sets them gently on the table.

"Lenny!" IA shouts. IO looks at the picture.

"That's him?" IA nods. IO continues to play with her fingers gently.

"Where are they?" Luka asks forcefully.

"I don't know." IA says.

"Don't play games with me! You must have had some sort of backup plan, a place where you all would meet up if things got bad. Where, are, they?"

"I don't know!" IA cries as Luka slams her fists into the table.

"Where?!" She screams in her face.

"Luka!" Haku yells, standing. "Watchers, please remove her from the premises. Escort her home." Haku turns to Luka. "Luka if you continue to behave this way I will have you sent out of my supervision and back to your home company under Lily again. I didn't keep you here just so I could have another child to contend with. Your temper does me no good, and I do not intend to kick up a search for the other Demon Children until further notice. If you wish to continue on a hunt for the Demon Children please go back to Lily like Meiko and Gakupo already have. That is all. I will email you any further instructions but for now get out of this room." Luka turns to leave. "And do me a favor, send Akaito in on your way out." Luka slams the door behind her.

"Watchers," Haku turns to the masked guards, "Please secure the Demon Children for further testing. The equipment will be brought in shortly." Four Watchers move forward and begin to tighten the restraints of IO and IA. They are both separated, dragged to opposite corners of the room, both of their wrists attached to separate tables.

"IA…" IO whimpers, looking at her from across the room. IA frowns, facing forward as the redheaded scientist approaches her. He has three assistants with him, all holding various "equipment" like knives and saws and zip ties. The scientist holds a clipboard and Haku steps back, watching from the corner.

"Now beginning test one." Akaito flips down a pair of lab goggles over his eyes and takes the two handed saw from one of the assistants. IA's hand is strapped flat onto the table with a steel cuff and Akaito places the saw on her wrist. IA gulps.

With a sharp and ripping pain he begins to slice into IA's fragile skin, cutting and sending splatters of blood everywhere. IA screams in absolute agony, withering and screeching as loud as she can. IO watches in horror as a heavy sedative is injected into her neck and IA's eyes roll back into her head and she falls silent. IO watches in terror as the bone is severed from her arm and Akaito is left holding her severed hand. He places it down on the table as assistants around him clap and begin to record various observations.

Suddenly everyone stops and the room falls silent, All around the jagged edges of IA's wrist where the cuts had been made, tiny pink crystals have begun to form. Slowly at first, then rapidly, the crystals grow out of every edge of her severed wrist and begin to get very large. Then they spread across the surface of her skin and slowly the hand itself begins to melt like ice cream on a hot day. It begins to melt away into a bloody puddle on the table and only a few crystals remain sticking out of the now dried stain. Her hand is gone.

The stub of IA's wrist slowly begins to grow now, long pink crystals begin to grow and form a skeletal structure of her hand and fingers.

"Don't just stand there!" Akaito shouts angrily. An assistant rushes over and tires to touch one of the crystals. It slices a deep and jagged cut into his hand that begins to bleed profusely. Slowly the crystals turn into bone and strands of muscle begin to grow and tendons begin to emerge at a rapid rate and then skin materializes and covers the entirety of her hand and then it stops. Her hand has returned, brand new, like nothing ever even happened to it.

IO is crying on the other side of the room.

IA's eyes snap open and she begins to scream. Everyone covers their ears and has to shroud away in order to not become deafened.

"IA!" IO shouts. It sounds only like a whisper over IA's screams, but she hears him anyways and stops. Tears begin to pour down her face.

"I'm sorry… I'm crying again." She whispers.

"Begin test two." Akaito says, standing. The Watchers and scientists move around him, cleaning the saw and readying new equipment.

"It's okay." IO says softly. A group of scientists move around him too, and also begin to prepare him for the same test IA just had done.

IO is sedated much more heavily than IA and he stays asleep the entire time up until his hand has grown back. He automatically snaps awake.

Akaito moves over to IA and stands exactly behind her. He places the blade of a saw on the back of her neck and speaks. "Begin test two." IA is sedated so much so that she falls entirely unconscious. IO hears the agonizing noise as the blade of the saw makes contact with the brittle bone in her neck and he hears the snapping noise as her head rolls onto the table and hits the floor. Her eyes are entirely white. Then they flash an intense red and the crystals begin to grow at the base of her neck and cover over all of the surface of her face and sides of her head. Then it does the same thing that the hand did, it melts back and grows itself again, out of crystals on her head. Bloody pink crystals, to regular calcium rich bones, to muscles, to tendons, to eyes, to skin, to every last strand of hair on her head.

Her eyes snap open and the scream she utters is enough to make someone's head explode. Haku motions everyone to move out, and they undo the restraints as some Watchers finish recording their data. The two are bound in even heavier chains, and are forced to walk down the hall once again. This time IO reaches for IA's hand only to find it limply hanging at her side. Unable to see he picks it up on his own and plays with her fingers. IA squeezes his hand once in a half-hearted response.

The cell door clangs open a few minutes later and as soon as the bags are removed and the door is shut IO moves as fast as he can over to IA. His hands fly to hers and he looks at her face. Her eyes are a very dull red and her breathing is labored. It slowly stabilizes but she can't seem to lift her head.

"IA? Please, at least cry… the silence is even scarier." Slowly IA blinks and her eyes gain a little color. She stares at her hand like it's a foreign object and her head hangs like a baby's.

"Len didn't… Len didn't save me…" Tears form at the corners of her eyes. Suddenly she throws herself onto IO, gripping him so hard he can barely breathe. "It hurts! It hurts it hurts!" She wails.

IO doesn't really know what to do. Besides, people were never really his thing anyways. He slowly reaches around IA, doing as she did when he cried.

Footsteps echo slowly down the hallway and a boy pauses just in front of the door, He could swear he heard voices. Yuuma reaches out a hand to touch the panel on the wall beside the door gently. On the screen pops up a security camera's footage.

On the screen is the girl at the rally, sobbing. "It hurts!" The video cries. Yuuma watches the boy and the girl with red eyes in horror. This is not what he expected.

Not what he expected at all.

* * *

**Character Pole:  
**

**IA- 2**

**IO- 2  
**

**Kaito- 1**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Len- 4  
**

**Miku- 7  
**

**Rin- 7  
**

**Oliver- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Gumi- 3**

**Yuma-1**

**Teto-**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	6. Life Motive

**Moshi Moshi!  
**

**I'm on spring break officially! X3 which means more time to write! So, I bring you this LONG chapter that took me all day to write!  
As always, Enjoy!  
**

**Review-y peoples for chpt 42:**

**`arosecas4**

**`Black White and Superstitious **

**`mlkqueen12**

**`zhane 17**

**`MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan**

**`awesome dt**

**`iDontCare**

**`Icelandicpuffincat**

**`Gumi Megpoid**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~43~X_

Gentle sunlight streams in through the closed blinds and dances on Miku's hair, illuminating it to a bright and neon teal. She rolls over, her arm falling over her face, smacking herself in the nose. She jolts upright, rubbing the small injury.

"Ow…" Miku says wearily, blinking her eyes and yawning a little.

Her room is mostly lit except for the shadows in the corners of furniture that cast their dark light over the hardwood flooring. The blankets are tangled around Miku's feet and legs, her hair a knotted mess. A copy of a dictionary lies just beside her pillow, open to the C section. A red pen and a highlighter are also buried somewhere underneath the tangled heap of pillows and blankets as well as a bottle of water.

Miku slowly sits up, throwing the sheets off of herself and standing with sleep heavy in her eyes.

"I slept by myself…" Miku smiles slightly in light of her latest achievement. Sleeping alone is terrifying and this was her first successful night of it. She can't help but grin, just a little. Then the thought crosses her mind, _will I do it again tonight? _She gulps and slips on a pair of filthy white socks. No reason to strain yourself, right?

Miku gently eases open the door of her room after re making her bed and setting her dictionary aside. She had begun to read it, well, the parts she could understand and sound out correctly. The last time she tried to use some of the words around the rest of the group, Rin laughed so hard she had to leave the room and Gumi, through tears had to explain to Miku that she pronounced everything she said wrong. Miku wasn't ready to do that again but she still wanted to pursue reading.

_At least then I won't be completely helpless…_ She thinks as she walks softly out of her room, the smallest one, and into the bathroom across the hall. She stands in the mirror, sighing at her mass of hair. She'll need Rin's help this morning.

Miku creeps out of the bathroom and down the hall, into the living room where Rin normally is. Oliver is sleeping heavily on the couch, again. Maps and assorted pages of notes and Gumi's disturbing doodles lie strewn across the coffee table and some of the chairs. Rin's usual jumbo coffee mug is gone and a large orange sticky note is stuck to the TV screen. Miku walks over carefully so as not to wake Oliver.

_Gone to do stuff w/ crowbar girl_

_Be back later (maybe)_

_*R_

At the bottom of the note is a small drawing done in permanent marker of a bear with an obscurely large head sitting on a washing machine while eating a waffle. No doubt the work of Gumi. Miku sighs, now how is she going to fix her hair? She picks up a strand and sighs, returning softly to the bathroom.

She frowns at her reflection in the mirror and winces as her comb pulls on a knot.

"Morning." A voice says. Miku yelps in surprise and jumps a foot in the air. "Sheesh, calm down, Miku." Len says as he ties his own hair up into the usual high and small pony tail. He isn't wearing a shirt. Len picks up his toothbrush and glances at Miku who hides her face behind her scarf. "Everything okay?" She nods. "Where's Rin?"

"She left a note." Miku hands the now folded scrap of paper to Len.

He sighs bitterly as he squirts toothpaste onto the brush. The two stand quietly beside each other as Len brushes his teeth and Miku paws at her hair, frustrated. Len sets his tooth brush down and looks at Miku. She sighs in defeat and turns to walk out of the bathroom.

"I got it." Len says, stopping her and beginning to move the comb up and down through her silky hair. Miku stands silent and as still as a rock. For some reason Len can't help but feel his heart start beating a little faster. He picks up the last rubber band and steps back, smirking at his accomplishment. "There."

Miku's hair is pulled into two neat and perfectly symmetrical pony tails. Her bangs are free of tangles and knots and fall gently just above her line of vision. She stares in awe. Even Rin can't do it _this _well.

"Thank you, Len!" Miku says, smiling.

"Yeah, no problem." Miku walks out of the bathroom and hears Len close the door behind her. A few moments later she hears the sound of water hissing out of the shower from the kitchen and smiles softly to herself.

Outside of the back door is the patio and the pink and orange sky. A lone bird soars from a tree to another and Miku closes her eyes, inhaling deeply. The air must smell amazing right now, if only-

Miku sighs in defeat. She can't possibly go outside on her own without Gumi or Len or Rin knowing, and there is no way she can get Oliver to care. She frowns.

"I guess I should try…" She mumbles under her breath, stepping out of the kitchen and into the living room. She hovers over the couch and Oliver's sleeping form. Only, he isn't sleeping.

He's on his side, facing the back of the couch with his one good eye open and facing down. _Go away go away go away go away… _He thinks bitterly. The presence above him doesn't move. _Are these people so ignorant to think that I've been sleeping all this time? How can I possibly sleep at all in a situation like this? _Oliver groans under his breath and sits up to face whoever is standing behind him. Miku jumps backwards and tugs her scarf over her mouth, gazing down at the floor sadly.

"What?" Oliver hisses.

"Sorry…" Miku shifts uncomfortably. "Sorry… it's nothing… sorry…" she says before scurrying away back into the kitchen. Oliver flops back down, covering his eyes and listening to the soft whirr of the fan.

Miku leans against over the kitchen sink, feeling like she's about to throw up. Or cry. Either one, possibly. She turns back to the door and decides she'll do it. Miku slides open the glass and locks it behind her, stepping on the other side and surrounding herself in the cool and calm winter breeze.

A thin sheet of frost covers the remaining blades of grass that lie in patches and heaps under crumbled and dying orange leaves. The bare branches of trees crash gently against each other with a whoosh of air, almost as if they speak to each other. Miku sighs, leaning against the deck and pushing her sock covered toe into the leaves. She smiles to herself. If only IA was here…

Miku didn't want to be rude, in fact, she feels terrible even having such thoughts, but Miki wasn't such a prominent figure in her life as IA. Miki made her choice and something about it frustrates Miku. Miki could have gone with them, she had the chance. Her choice saved them but did she not care for herself at all anymore? Miku understood that Miki was grief stricken but something about her made Miku frustrated and almost a little angry. If she had to choose, which she hopes she never has to, she would pick IA over the red head. Is that so terrible to think? Miku places her thumb to her lips and inhales the crisp morning air again.

Then she hears a noise. A tiny little yelp and the crunch of leaves. Miku feels her blood run cold and she quickly bolts to her feet, spinning on her heel and facing the side of the cabin. A tiny flash of neon blue is visible and then is gone just as fast. Miku holds her breath in anticipation and backs away slowly.

"H-hello?" She calls out softly yet loud enough to be heard. The silence that hangs in the air rings with violent intensity. Footsteps erupt into a frantic pattern of running and Miku jumps backwards, bumping into the glass. The figure, now just a tiny silhouette on the other side of the house, bolts into the tree line of the forest and immediately disappears.

Miku gulps and with shaking hands flings open the sliding glass door and locks it behind her. Once inside she runs clumsily down the hall and comes to a skidding stop in front of Len and Rin's room, panting. She frantically knocks with shaking hands.

Len opens the door, expecting to see Rin. Instead he comes face to face with a panicking Miku, her face filled with fear, her nose red from the cold, and her shoulders quivering. Her voice is shaking and Len is startled instantly. He has just pulled his usual white shirt on and his hair is still dripping from his shower. Droplets of water still cling to his arms.

"Miku? What happened?" He steps forward, reaching a hand out to see if she's injured. Miku crashes into him, hyperventilating.

"I-I-I think s-someone's outside!"

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Ready?"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Gumo's dirty."

"Gumo?" Rin asks, leaning against a tree, facing Gumi. "You named your crowbar, Gumo?"

"Of course! What else was I going to name him?" Gumi says, brushing her sleeve against the handle of the sleek yellow, almost orange tool.

"You named him after yourself?"

"Who else was I going to name him after?" Gumi states simply, shrugging her shoulders and standing, leaning on the crowbar. "Besides, I _am _pretty awesome."

Rin scoffs. "Keep telling yourself that…" Rin stands up straight, taking her jacket off and tossing it aside. It falls in a heap on the ground, sending leaves around it scattering away in the air.

"Okay, I'm ready now." Gumi eases into a standing position and clasps Gumo in her hands. She flicks her goggles down over her eyes and they narrow to a playful glare. She smirks devilishly and smacks her crowbar into the palm of her gloved hand. "Let's do it."

"Right." Rin snaps into a sideways fighting stance, holding one arm out and clasping her hand into a fist and bringing her other arm parallel yet folded inwards and only extended as far as her other arm's elbow. She brings her head down, closer to her chest and breathes in.

The world snaps into place all at once with a jolting snap. Gumi launces forward sloppily, careening at Rin with Gumo raised in the air above her head. Rin shoots backwards to dodge but at the last second Gumi changes position, sending Gumo hurling into Rin's stomach. Rin takes advantage of the mere second in which Gumi lowered her guard and her fist flies out. It makes contact with metal and Gumi uses her crowbar to push Rin off. Rin skids a few feet away and tenses.

Rin is the one to move this time. She spins forward, jumping a little in the air and bringing her knee up into Gumi's open palm. She was expecting the blow. Rin brings her leg down with incredible speed and it smashes into Gumi's unexpected foot. In that moment they both move simultaneously, Gumi lurching forward with the crowbar raised high above her head, and Rin with her elbow. The two girls fly apart, Rin crashing to the ground and Gumi smashing into a tree.

Rin recovers the quickest while Gumi stays down but a second longer. Rin swings her fist into the side of Gumi's head and Gumi spins with the blunt side of her crowbar facing out. She throws her strength into the blow and sends Rin tumbling. Gumi brings her foot up to Rin's chin and presses her head into the ground. Rin sinks in the leaves, laughing.

Gumi folds her fingers into a gun and holds it out, pointing down at Rin.

"Bang." The two burst out laughing. Rin stands slowly beside Gumi as she brushes a little bit of blood off of her crowbar.

"You win. Three to two." Rin says. "You're always one step ahead…"

"Yours or mine?" Gumi says, pointing at the blood stain. The two girls do a quick check.

"Mine." Rin announces, showing Gumi a small cut on her knuckle.

"Gumo!" Gumi scolds her crowbar.

Rin gives her a cockeyed sideways glance. "Yeah, keep doing that. I'm sure it'll help."

Footsteps slowly become audible off in the near-distance.

"Shh." Gumi says, holding up her hand. The two stand, silent.

The one pair of running footsteps becomes two and the girls exchange a glance.

"Race you." Gumi calls after Rin who has already sprinted away with her jacket and knife in hand. Gumi jogs after. The two run after the other two runners, joining a frantic chase. Rin is a little faster than Gumi, only by a hair. Rin has pulled her jacket back on while running and has her knife drawn, yet concealed in her sleeve. The second pursuer becomes visible.

"Len?!" Rin shouts after the person.

"Yeah! Someone found us! Can't see 'em, go around!" He shouts without turning.

Gumi and Rin shoot opposite directions, curling around and presumably surrounding their prey.

Rin, being the fastest, gets the closest. She seems to be parallel with the fleeing person, but she still can't see them. The thick and plentiful trees and piles of leaves block her vision. So she judges off of sound.

"Three, two, one." Rin takes a deep breath and throws herself to the side. She crashes violently through the trees and undergrowth. She feels her body collide with another and the two roll down a steep hill. "Shit!" Rin hisses. The other person in Rin's grip yelps in pain and tries to tug away as they roll down the hill.

"Rin!" She hears Len call from up the hill. Rin feels her back hit something hard and painful, but she doesn't let go of her captive. She rolls over them and pushes the person bellow her into the ground.

Their hands swat and flail around trying to hit Rin. Rin eventually finds the person's wrists and forces them painfully into the ground.

"Ghack!" The person exclaims in pain. Rin blinks the hair out of her eyes and glares down at the person pinned beneath her.

Under her is a startled girl. Her arms are thin and bony, her face is flawless and fair, her cheeks dirt smeared with a bleeding cut just above her left eye. Her hair is bright, luminescent, deep neon blue. Her clothes are dirty and torn, even blood stained in parts. Just out of her reach is a kitchen knife. Lapis frantically struggles for it. Rin's burning red eyes strike terror into her and makes her plight even more frantic. Rin kicks the blade away and pushes her knee into Lapis' gut.

"S-stop!" She chokes out in pain.

Len comes skidding into the clearing with Gumi at his heels. Len's eyes fall on Rin and part of him becomes relieved. Then his eyes travel downwards to the person Rin is glaring at so intently.

"You!?" Len shouts in surprise.

"Eh?" Gumi lays her crowbar across her shoulders and leans against the trunk of a tree.

"You _know _her?" Rin seethes, not even turning her head. She pushes Lapis further into the ground and she winces.

"Rin, off!" Len moves forward, grabbing his twin by the shoulders and violently tugging her off. Lapis exhales sharply a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She sighs in relief and slowly staggers to her feet.

"Len! Are you even thinking? She could be a threat!" Rin practically screams.

"Shut up! Do you want everyone to hear you?" Len hisses through clenched teeth. Lapis slowly stands and Len turns around to face her. Lapis jumps in surprise. "Why are you here?" He asks sharply, narrowing his eyes.

"I-I-I came to find you!" She squeaks, flustered.

"See?!" Rin groans loudly, picking up her knife. Lapis flinches.

"L-Let me explain! After you saved me-"

"You _what?!_" Rin erupts from behind Len. "Do you _want _to get us killed?" She throws her hands up in the air and stalks away muttering to herself.

"After you dropped me off my father took me back to our hotel. I overheard him having a conversation about… killing people and the incident at the subway station… So I thought he was a cop or something and I started searching his room…" Lapis looks down at her feet, suddenly saddened. "I found a bunch of files… Your real name is Len, right?" Len steps backwards, a little startled.

"If your father had files…"

"Demon's Crow is working with the police now, huh?"

"N-no, you misunderstood me. My dad works _for _Demon's Crow." Len shifts into a fighting stance and Rin spins around, stalking forward. Gumi opens one eye and glances at Lapis before sighing. She closes her eyes again and then walks forward.

Lapis begins to back away hurriedly, panicking, she flounders. "I-I r-read everything and- erm- I came to-" Rin pushes her arm into Lapis' neck. She forces her against a tree and holds her above the ground. She pushes a knife against Lapis' throat. The blue haired girl stifles a scream. "P-please I-I wanna h-help!" She gags.

Gumi places her hand on Rin's shoulder.

"Get off!" She shouts, enraged. Gumi increases the pressure and Rin caves. Gumi tugs her away and Lapis falls to the ground, gagging and coughing.

"You better start talking, 'cause she's like a time bomb. I can only subdue her for so long." Gumi whispers to Lapis, giving her a tiny smile. She turns, leading Rin away as she cusses angrily under her breath.

Lapis staggers to her feet. "I-I know you don't want to trust me, and you probably shouldn't but, I came because I want to help."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why?" Len repeats.

"… Because I want to do something with my life, or else I don't deserve to have a life at all."

"That's pretty bold for a weak little bitch like you." Rin chirps from the other side of the clearing. Gumi snickers quietly. Lapis blushes.

"It's true though, once my time comes, and I know it eventually will, I want to be able to say I did something meaningful with my existence." Lapis shifts uncomfortably as a drop of blood falls off her eye lash. Her palm flies to cover her eye. The cut stings and her stomach is throbbing and she'll probably have some new bruises by tomorrow, but Lapis is ecstatic. She finally found them.

"Just curious, which one of the assholes is your father?" Rin asks.

"His name is Kaito. We have different last names though, I kept my mothers." Rin's blood runs cold.

"How long have you been following us?" Len asks, quickly changing the subject.

"Since a week after you found me." Lapis states simply, wiping away some of the blood from her hand to her shirt. She puts her palm back over her eye.

"Come on, we should go clean that out." Len walks forward, exiting the clearing and walking back up the hill. Lapis trudges after him and Rin and Gumi not far behind.

"She's got quite a complex, huh?" Rin seethes to Gumi.

"This could prove interesting…" Gumi says, clipping Gumi back onto her belt.

"Are you kidding me? She's just another liability, one we don't need."

"Like I said, _interesting_."

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

Yuuma pushes open his bedroom door, his thoughts restless and festering. He's so wrapped up he bumps straight into Teto, nearly toppling her.

"Hi! How was your first day of the Upper Levels trip?" His mother asks from the kitchen.

Yuuma doesn't respond.

Not because he doesn't know what to say, but because he knows _exactly _what to say.

Yuuma smirks.

Oh yes, he knows _exactly _what to say.

But it's a secret.

* * *

**Character Pole:  
**

**IA- 2**

**IO- 2  
**

**Kaito- 1**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Len- 5  
**

**Miku- 7  
**

**Rin- 8  
**

**Oliver- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Gumi- 4 (+1 from me too, cause I LOVE writing her)**

**Teto-**

**Gumo- [NEW]  
**

**Heheheheh me and my cliffhangers~****_!_**

_~**Tiruneko ;3**_


	7. Green Light, Go!

**I got up this morning and started writing. When I finished I was like, "Huh, Tiruneko-chan, you just finished another chapter. It'd be stupid to post it right now, you'd loose your touch of suspense!" So I forced myself to be normal and I made some tea. Then I watched a couple episodes of an anime I just started and I looked at my screen and I was like, "Screw this, I'm uploading right now." **

**And chapter 44 was born! Kya~! X3**

**I know the beginning is a little weak this time, but give me a break! It was six in the morning! **

**Thanks to my awesome review-y peoples:**

**`Shinochan**

**`Black White and Supersticious**

**`MT's Souless6**

**`XxKingArthurlllxX**

**`Crazed King**

**`zhane 17**

**`awesome dt**

**I know I really shouldn't update this often... *sigh***

** But you guys aren't protesting, ne?**

**Enjoy as always,**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_

* * *

_X~44~X_

"Yuuma Vy?"

"Present."

"Alright, that's everyone." The teacher closes his notebook and walks over to the Watcher standing behind him. "We're all ready."

The Watcher nods. The class begins to move in a large mass, crowding in groups of ten into the elevators. Yuuma steps on with the second group and leans against the wall. He pulls his black hat down a little to hide his smirk. The elevator dings and the doors slide open slowly and with a tiny mechanical whirr.

Everyone moves off in a crowd and Yuuma steps not far behind. The lobby is gorgeous. In the center of the lobby, running right through the floor, is a giant waterfall-like fountain. Behind the waterfall fountain are the walls. Oh the walls! Each wall is made out of glass panels showing the sunlight bursting through. Almost every student has to squint until they can adjust.

_We're just like cave people._ Yuuma thinks bitterly as his group moves on. To the left of the fountain is a large clerical desk with six workers. Behind the desk is a locked white door which should lead to any offices behind. To the right of the desk is a door with a sign that says BATHROOM is thin yet large letters.

"Teacher?"

"Yes?" Yuuma points behind him to the bathroom door.

"Alright, alright." His teacher waves him off and continues on but the Watcher escorting them stops Yuuma. He hands him a piece of folded up paper.

"You will meet us here." He points at a black X on floor four. "If you need assistance ask one of the secretaries. Furthermore you will need a key card to bypass floor three." He doesn't say why, but Yuuma knows. "This card has the codes for three uses worth. One for the bathroom, one for the elevator, one to pass floor three." Yuuma nods.

"Thank you sir." He takes the card and walks off to the bathrooms. The door behind the desk swings open and a Watcher in a guard suit steps out. He exits the desk and walks past Yuuma, into the bathroom. The Watcher swipes a silver card and the light above the door turns green.

Moving quickly Yuuma places his foot in the door and slips in. The light turns red behind him. The bathroom is a large rectangular room with five stalls on the right and six sinks on the left. Yuuma takes the very last stall and locks it behind him.

Under his shirt is a black mask with a crow beak and no eye-holes. It was Yuuma's favorite toy as a kid. A perfect plaster replica. Folded up inside of the mask is a wad of clothing made by Teto for Yuuma's birthday last year.

"Thank you Teto." He whispers to himself, unfolding the long sleeve purple shirt and black dress pants. Yuuma hears the creek of a stall beside him and the rush of water down a sink. Then the soft click of the door shutting comes and he breathes a sigh of relief. Because of Yuuma's astonishing height he can easily pass as a Watcher, as long as he keeps the mask on and goes straight to his destination. Gulping, he looks down at the uniform in his hands. With a deep breath Yuuma wraps up his school uniform in toilet paper and buries it deep at the bottom of the trash.

In the mirror Yuuma looks perfectly inconspicuous. He pulls his hood over his hat and pink hair and connects it to the sides of his mask. As he pulls it down over his face a Watcher enters the bathroom. He gives a nod of acknowledgement to Yuuma as he walks into a stall. Yuuma's heart thumps out of his chest.

He gulps again, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Yuuma pushes open the door and exits the bathroom his key card clasped in his hand. Three uses, huh? One of them is supposed to be to pass floor three. Containment Level. He snickers softly under his mask. The elevators are just past the fountain. Swiftly and with purpose Yuuma moves over to them pressing his card up against the reader. The light above the elevator turns green and Yuuma presses THREE and steps inside. The doors slide closed and he presses three again.

The red light remains. Yuuma presses his card over the reader and it quickly turns green.

"_One. Two. Floor Three." _The robotic female voice chimes. A tiny ding echoes out, and the doors slide open. Yuuma moves swiftly down the hall, his heart about to explode. Everything could go wrong, but it won't. He tells himself. Yuuma won't let _anything _go wrong.

He begins to count the doors.

One. Two on his left. Three. Four on his left. Five. Six. Yuuma stops. To the Left of the sixth door on the Left is a light blue panel with what looks like circuits running across the face. It requires a code. Yuuma holds his breath and takes out his code card. He peels off the plastic layer on the top and uses a pin in his hat to screw off the next layer.

Each card, rather than being like a credit card with a certain number of set codes, is a tiny computer with access to all codes. The specific codes it can access can be set from a computer with the right software. What most people don't know is that it also can be set right from the card itself. Using his tiny pin he unhooks a tiny copper wire and attaches it to a silver circular disk. He uses the same pin just as he did yesterday to take off the access panel on the blue screen beside the door. He connects a tiny silver wire around the circular disk on the card, then to a copper wire on the access panel. A tiny spark shoots in the air. Yuuma chuckles, doing a head check and continuing to work.

The display pops up immediately on the blue screen and a series of four numbers is needed. Yuuma types 1, 2, 3, 4 and rips out a tiny silver square from the access panel at the same time. The light above the display turns green. Yuma smirks and closes up the access panel. He takes the rectangle he ripped out of it and reattaches it to his card. He screws the back face onto the card again and re-covers it with the plastic layer.

A video display pops up on the monitor showing two children.

IA sits beside the sleeping IO, playing with a torn hem on her dress. IO's head rests in the crook of her neck and her shoulder. His chest rises and falls gently with each breath and IA finds herself getting sleepy. His hand is clasped around hers and IA counts the specs of dirt under each of his fingernails, gently humming a tune she created for herself.

A tiny clicking noise floats into her ears and she darts upwards, nudging IO awake.

"IA…?" He rubs his eye and sits up, leaning against the wall.

"I think… I heard someone…" IA mutters. IO grips her hand tightly and the two push themselves against the wall in one motion.

Then the door clangs and slowly begins to slide open. IO pulls IA behind him, blocking her with his shoulder. IA, again, doesn't protest. She grips IO's shoulder as the two stand. One silhouette is in the doorway. It slowly comes forward and its face is illuminated under the fluorescents.

It is a tall but thin Watcher with a black mask and outfit. IA watches with curiosity as this Watcher does something new. He slowly pulls something out of his shirt and closes the door behind him. But he doesn't lock it. The Watcher steps forward and IA does a little too. IO stops her abruptly, frowning.

The Watcher unfolds two white sheets and sets them down, moving over to the two chains. Yuuma bends and pushes his key card into the slot above them. Immediately IA and IO's chains release. IA jumps backwards out of the chains while IO steps more carefully around them. They stand beside each other.

Yuuma motions to the sheets and IA speaks first.

"Put them… on?"

"IA!" IO frowns.

Yuuma nods.

IA lurches forward, past IO, and throws the white sheet over her head. IO runs to stand beside her and grabs her hand through the sheet.

"You do it too." She mutters. IO begrudgingly throws on the other sheet and the two children stand blinded beside each other, holding hands. IO plays with IA's fingers nervously.

Yuuma hurries over and bends down beside the two, he lifts his mask just over his mouth and whispers just loud enough that the camera can't pick up his words but IA and IO can. "Please be absolutely silent. Don't move. I'm getting you out. Don't say a word or make a sound."

IA nods and tugs on IO's hand. Yuuma darts out into the hallway and eases the door closed softly behind him. The elevator bell dings and his heart drops. Yuuma begins to walk the opposite direction as the person steps out of the elevator. A secretary with silky black hair pushes a cart full of recycling papers out of the elevator and leaves it in front of the fourth door. She turns and gets back in the elevator while Yuuma waits around the corner.

At this time every day, even in the old procedures that he's managed to get ahold of, the secretaries bring up the recycling cart. A big institution like Crow's Medical Research Facility must generate a lot of trash, discarded files, notes, torn papers, old copies, etc. Besides being their highly efficient way to dispose of trash, it is also Yuuma's way out.

Yuuma walks down the hall casually and grabs the cart. He then pushes it outside of the cell door and moves back inside. He bends down beside IA and whispers. "I'm going to pick you up now." He grabs IA and buries her under the papers. He grabs IO and lies him next to IA. Yuuma lies layer after layer of papers on top of them until they are no longer visible.

Yuuma steers the cart out of the cell and closes it, locking it behind him. He moves back to the panel and addresses the matter of security footage. He needs to overlap the security footage from yesterday over today's to buy himself some time before anyone notices. Yuma begins working before he realizes he can't without a computer. He can freeze the camera though. He can fill the footage with so much static it looks like the two demon children are still inside. He crushes a tiny metallic square and sparks shoot out, singing his index finger.

"Ow…" He mutters, cramming the finger into his other hand.

Yuuma pushes the cart down the hallway to the employee elevator at the other end. This elevator is more like a service elevator. The walls are cement and there is no female voice that alerts you to which floor you're on or going to. There is no fan in it lastly, making it hot and uncomfortable even in the beginning of winter.

Yuuma pushes his card up to the reader and steps inside. He presses the large button at the bottom of the panel reading only: G. He presses his card one more time against the reader. Yuuma takes a deep breath he hadn't known he had been holding before snapping the card over his knee.

He won't need it anymore and besides, it's just another way for the Watchers to try and track him. The elevator lurches into motion giving Yuuma that brief "freefalling" feeling. After a few moments the elevator stops. He should be in the garage under the building now. The elevator slides open and Yuma pushes his cart out. Underneath the building is this parking garage structure. It's where delivery trucks dock and where their company vans and cars are stored. Perfect.

On the same wall as the elevator is a little security checkpoint. It's a window in the wall leading into the security guard's little room. They have all the surveillance for this floor and the keys to all the vans. Yuuma pushes himself up flat against the wall and slowly creeps under the window. He pokes his head up for a moment to see one Watcher with one gun on the desk behind him. Yuuma runs back to the cart and picks up a tiny rock by the elevator. He runs back under the window and throws the rock at one of the cars. It thunks off with a metallic noise that echoes loudly. The Watcher stands and pockets his gun, walking out of the door.

He walks just past Yuuma, and once his back is facing Yuuma the pink haired boy stands, wrapping his arm around the Watchers neck and pulling as hard as he can. The grown man struggles and thrashes with incredible strength in Yuuma's grasp. Afraid he can't hang on anymore, Yuuma knees the man with all his strength in his crotch. The Watcher falls sputtering to the ground. Yuuma rolls him on his back with a sharp kick to the ribs and with one harsh kick to the temple he knocks the man unconscious. Yuuma falls to the ground beside him, panting. He grabs the gun and cattle prod out of the Watcher's back pocket and drags his body into the security room.

Yuuma sits himself in the man's chair and begins blanking the security footage for this floor and floor three. He enters the security main frame and opens copies of all of the footage for the past hour. Yuuma downloads one hard copy of each onto a disk so it can be completely removed off of the whole system, and he erases all digital copies as well as back up imprints taken by their automatic security system. Lastly Yuuma snaps both disks over his knee and stabs them into the chair's fabric seat.

He takes a key marked VAN 12 with an orange sticker and moves over to the employee lockers in the back of the office. He takes the Watcher's ID badge and opens one of the lockers. He takes out the man's wallet and all of the money he has before quickly closing it all back up. Yuuma then drags the man's body into the desk chair, sitting him on top of the disk shards. Yuuma snickers to himself before leaving.

He runs back to the cart and pushes it to the side of a van in an orange space marked twelve. Yuuma unlocks the car and throws the wallet and man's cellphone into the cup holder. He sets the gun down too before unlocking the backseat. His breath is becoming raged and his vision is blurry from the mask.

_How can they work in these things? _He thinks digging amongst the mounds of papers. He grabs one of the white sheets and lifts the object out. He sets the little boy in the backseat of the car and takes off the sheet.

IO's blazing crimson eyes are terrifying to Yuuma and he jumps a little in surprise.

"Where's IA?" IO nearly shouts.

"Shh!" Yuma hisses through the mask as he lifts the little girl out and sets her beside IO.

IO rips the sheet off of IA and nearly topples her over. Yuuma slams the car door and gets in the front seat. With a heavy sigh he puts the key into the ignition and pulls out of the space. As he begins to drive slowly out of the complex he turns to the two red eyed children.

"Duck under the seats, don't say a word." IA nods and grips IO by the wrist. She pulls him down onto the floor of the car. IA crawls under the driver's seat and pushes IO under the passenger's side. Just as IO is about to speak IA shakes her head harshly.

Yuuma pulls up to the exit gate and shows the Watcher's ID badge to the one at the exit gate. This Watcher isn't wearing a mask, but a regular security guard's suit. It is a white shirt with two black pockets on the chest. He has a tie and an ID badge on. He is a balding and round man with a look of harsh disinterest on his face. Yuuma couldn't have asked for anyone better.

The man glances at the clearance card Yuuma stole and nods. The man checks his clipboard.

"I don't have any vehicles on list that are going out today." The man drones.

_Shit! _

"But… my shift is almost over and I _really _don't feel like having to check my hardcopies. So just tell me, smuggling any guns or drugs out today?" The man jokes. Yuuma laughs dryly but convincingly. "Have a good day." The man says, pressing a button. The yellow and white striped pole rises slowly and Yuuma slowly pulls out of the parking complex and out into the harsh sun.

The street is fairly empty but leads into a relatively large looking city. Yuuma's never been this far above Ground Level. He suddenly rips his mask off and a wide grin spreads across his face. His sweaty pink hair sticks in clumps to his cheeks and face.

IA crawls out from under the seat and grabs IO and pulls him out as well. IA peeks over the seat, nearly giving Yuuma a heart attack. Her vibrant red eyes are all he can see.

"Hi!" She cries vibrantly into his ear. Yuuma flinches at the sudden loud noise.

Her face is round and smeared with dirt, her hair is crusty and filled with clumps of dried blood. Her smile is wide and priceless though and Yuuma can't help but wonder what makes everyone so afraid of _this._

"IA…" IO moans nervously from the back seat.

"Huh?" She turns around. IO's face is drained of nearly all color and he grips Len's jacket like a life preserver. IA had forgotten to get it. His eyes dart back and forth with a terrified look on his face. "IO?" IA crawls forward on the backseat.

"H-How are we moving? W-Where are we?" He shudders.

"We're outside." IA says with a large smile. She grabs IO by the wrist and pulls him up front. She urges him to crawl into the passenger's seat and with much difficulty she gets him to land beside Yuuma. IA and IO both sit side by side in the passenger's seat. IA's eyes fall upon Yuuma's stoic face as they continue to drive into a city. "Who're you?" IA asks him, eyes full of curiosity.

Yuuma gulps, realizing she's talking to him. "M-My name is Yuuma Vy."

"I'm IA, this is IO." She says cheerily. "Are you taking us to Len?" IA asks him.

"Huh? Who's Len?"

"Lenny. He rescued me before. Him and Rinny and scaredy-cat Miku!" IA says, counting people on her fingers.

"You mean the other demons?"

IA pauses and thinks for a moment. "Oh! That's what Miki said…! So, where are we going?"

Yuuma stutters, "I-I don't know."

"Can we go get candy!?" IA screeches, her eyes wide. The car swerves drastically and IO moans, panicking as IA giggles.

"I guess if you want…" Yuuma says, exasperated. "But no more yelling in the car."

"Okay!" IA shouts. "Oops, sorry Yuuma…"

"Put your seat belt on, okay?" He says. IA reaches up over IO's head and grabs the black belt. She drapes it over IO's shoulder, across her chest, under her arm, and pushes it with difficulty into the black box with a tiny click.

"Is he okay?" Yuuma asks after a few moments.

IA glances at IO. "I think he's scared." She glances around her, then turns to Yuuma whispering, "He's never been outside before."

Yuuma gulps. "That makes two of us."

* * *

**Character Pole:  
**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**Gumi-7**

**Len-6**

**IA- 2**

**IO- 2  
**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Oliver- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1  
**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	8. Double Edged Sword

_X~45~X_

"I know this is a lot to take in, and you are probably teeming with all kinds of questions and concerns, but it is vital that we have your answer quickly."

"Why… why me?"

"Teto, is that okay if I call you that? Teto, we're raising an army, and Demon's Crow has seen you as fit for our purposes."

"An _army_?"

"We cannot discuss the parameters and specifics due to recent security concerns until we have a confirmed response. Do I have an answer?" Haku leans across the table on her elbows.

Teto casts her soft gaze down to her lap. Her hands fidget restlessly with each other and she bites into the corner of her mouth. About two days after her brother's disappearance, Teto realized she was being watched. It terrified her, and, unsure of what else to do, she confronted one of the Watchers hiding out around her school. They immediately escorted her upstairs and she was forced to stay in a locked room for two more days, when, at last, she was taken to this meeting room in one of the upper floors.

Teto gulps. "Y-Yuuma disappears… and I get f-followed… and you ask me to join your _army?_ Can I see my parents at least?"

"Teto, I'm sorry but they are not allowed in the building."

"Why?"

"That is classified." Haku leans back in her comfy meeting chair, her coffee cup now empty. She has to say, she is enjoying the lap of luxury a little more than she thought. But _this…_ This was a complication she didn't need. At least now filing all that tedious paperwork is no longer relevant. She can go about her plan now with a new sense of urgency, at her _own _discretion. It was ideal.

"What happens if I refuse?" Teto finally looks upwards.

"Are you refusing?" Haku asks.

Teto merely shakes her head. "Can I ask one question before I commit to anything?"

Haku nods. "Be aware we have the liberty to refuse your question at our whim."

Teto gulps. "Yuuma left, didn't he?" A Watcher behind Haku shifts. "E-Em, if I may intrude, Master Haku, judging by the behaviors exhibited by the three Watchers behind you I would conclude I'm correct? But there seems to be something more I'm missing…" As if Haku is watching a puzzle be formed before her eyes Teto begins to raise her head a little, tiny tears wetting the corners of her eyes. "H-He did something really stupid… D-did he try to free the Akuma?" Teto hangs onto the edge of her words as if they're a knife.

"Yes, Teto. This information is being kept strictly quiet from the public, which is why it is impossible for you to be released or seek contact with family members for the sake of this information."

"Oh no… that idiot!" Teto finds her hands shaking, her already filthy face being covered in sweat. "H-How could he… do this?"

"Teto, your brother is highly dangerous right now. Not only is he a threat to the entirety of creation, he is a threat to the Middles and the Pure. He is a threat to every stranger and a threat to every friend. Your brother is armed as well as a murder and a thief, and more importantly, he has betrayed the Lord." With each word Teto begins to feel her eyes welling up with more and more tears. She tucks her knees up to her chest and hugs her legs tightly, weeping silently, brooding.

"Y-you want me to help you find-find and k-kill him for the-the good of h-humanity?" Teto wretches painfully after speaking the sentence, as if the words themselves would cause her to puke.

Haku nods. "Teto, I understand this is a lot of pain to take in, but know that we haven't picked you solely on your connection to Yuuma. We have monitored you closely and your instincts are unmatchable. You are physically able and mentally capable. You need the minimal amount of training as well and… well… many other categories fit you perfectly."

"I-I'll do it."

"I'm sorry?" Haku is slightly taken aback.

"B-but can you p-promise me my family will be taken care of? Mom and Dad? Can you just… tell them I'm n-not-not dead…? 'Cos that's what th-they'll think… they'll think me and Y-Yuuma are… d-dead…"

"Teto, I promise you, your parents will be well accommodated for. Unfortunately we cannot give them any details regarding the states of either you or your brother. But we will see to it that they are taken care of well." Haku smiles warmly at Teto. Her smile may seem warm but Haku can only fully comprehend the true intention behind her gaze. After all, the face is her own.

"I'll do it then." Teto wipes away a trail of tears off of her face and lifts her head up. Her eyes blaze with a focused intensity. "I'll join your army."

Long after Master Haku and her Watchers have left, Teto is escorted into a large room on the twelfth floor of the buildings. The room is massive with a large mauve king-sized bed in the center. The bed has velvet blankets and crisp, ironed sheets. The pillows are each the size of windows and are the softest things Teto has ever laid hands on. Teto's room is void of furniture besides some fighting equipment and hand weights as well as a vanity dresser and walk-in closet. Teto wanders around for some time until she opens the bathroom door.

Inside, hanging by her shower, is a uniform. The uniform looks to be fitted perfectly for her, some of the colors matching the shade of her hair. It consist of three pieces, each made out of light and breathable silk-like material. The first piece is a colored white button up shirt with sleeves that stop at the shoulder. The next piece is a white long shirt with sleeves longer than the under-shirt's, but they stop at the same place as a T-shirt's sleeves would. This shirt allows for the white color of the undershirt to show, just as it would in school uniforms. A hot pink ribbon, meant to be tied around the neck, dangles around the hanger. The last and final piece of the uniform is a pair of tight shorts that reach down to Teto's knees. Attached to the shorts is a white miniskirt that stops about a foot before the leggings. It's all white.

Just white.

Teto kneels down in her shower and lets the steam fall around her in gentle circles for a long time. She never lets the water touch her. Time passes before Teto turns the water off and steps out into her bathroom. She stares at her dripping form in the mirror and turns to look at her uniform. She reaches out to touch it and feels her fingers gently dance over each thin seem. Teto grabs the uniform around the waist and pulls it up to her face. She smears water all over it and inhales deeply before collapsing on the floor.

"Yuuma… what have you done to me?"

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

Miku shifts uncomfortably on the crowded couch. She gulps a lump that had been forming in her throat down. She plays with the tassels on the ends of her scarf. Lapis sits in a chair on the other side of the room, Rin in the chair next to her. Gumi stands like a shadow in the corner of the room, Gumo folded under her arms. Across from that side of the room are Oliver, Len, and Miku.

"So, you find a chick in the street and 'cos she's hot you drive her to a gas station and drop her off. She calls her dad, who works for the company trying to kill you, and then she just _then _finds out that he works for an organization that kills people. So, little miss hot chick tracks us and follows us, accidentally leading her psychopathic father to us. Then she stalks us from the woods, Rin nearly kills her, and you bring her back to our camp. Len, what the hell are you thinking?" Oliver seethes from his position on the couch. Len glares at him.

"U-um…" Lapis bows her head respectfully before speaking. "I'm sorry!"

"It doesn't matter." Len says.

"Okay, well, let's get to business, 'cos I don't think anyone else here has the balls to say it. What do you know?" Rin says from her chair, facing Lapis and propping her feet up on the arm rest.

"Huh?" Lapis jolts up, still covering her bleeding eye.

Len slowly leans in towards Miku, getting so close to her head she can feel his breath on her shoulder and in her hair. Honey suckle and cinnamon. "Miku, go get the first aid kit, okay?" Len whispers gently to her. Miku nods, hiding her face in her scarf and scurrying out of the room.

Miku enters the kitchen and looks up at the cabinet above the stove where the tea is boiling. Miku thinks for a long moment before developing a plan. She slowly moves over to the kitchen table and grabs one of the wooden chairs, pulling it open with great difficulty. To her weak body lifting a wooden chair is like lifting a weight. With a groan she thumps it down on the tile and staggers on top of it, balancing only by holding the back of the chair. With a shaky hand she reaches upwards and pulls open the cabinet.

Immediately a wave of objects and dishes loosens and comes clattering down on her head. Miku falls backwards out of the chair, flailing for a handhold. Her palm smacks down on the burning stove as she falls and her skull smacks into the tile and a pile of shattered dish glass. A red first aid kit crashes down into her head and the wooden chair topples on top of her. She's falling, just like then, falling through the air that morning.

Miku's heart begins to beat with rapid furry, adrenaline pumping through her veins with raging ferocity. The blue haired man's voice rings sharply through her ears as she feels her body hit the ground again. She raises her hand slowly and out of her blurring vision sees a jagged chunk of blue grass lodged in between her index finger and middle finger. Red, oh god, so much red.

She can no longer contain her own breathing and she begins to utter a high pitched panicked whine. She closes her eyes, panting. She feels someone bend down at her side and hears voices. Miku can't gain any ground over her body as it struggles to cope with what's real and what's a flashback. Len's body after diving off the roof for her jumps into her mind and she stifles a scream with all she has.

"Shh, shh, shh…" A hand touches the side of her face and Miku forces her eyes open. They burn as if they're on fire.

"Oh my gosh!" Lapis jumps backwards, nearly stumbling into the table. "Her _eyes." _

"Yeah, they're red, genius. Now stop standing around and do something! Oliver, move the chair." Rin barks orders around.

Gumi bends down on the other side of Miku and pulls her leather gloves down over her hands. "I'll deal with all the glass." She begins to sweep away the shards around the floor, beginning with the heaps that are largest.

Rin reaches over Miku and Len on the floor and switches off the stove, removing the scalding tea pot. Lapis runs back into the room with a bundle of towels from the bathroom. Her hands are shaking and she can't contain her breath. "I-I-I g-got some t-towels f-for-for the b-blood-oh God the bl-blood…!"

"Oh great! See Len, she's afraid of blood!" Rin shouts over the noise.

"Rin, look!" Oliver shouts back, pointing at Lapis. The blood from the cut over her eye has begun to run through her fingers. "She's lost a lot because you decided to interrogate her first rather than treat her wounds. She clearly hasn't eaten in days and she's dehydrated, look at how sunken her eyes are and how dry the skin around her hands are. Are you guys all this stupid?!" Everyone is silenced but Miku and her pained and panicking pants of breath.

"I'll get her, Rin, take care of the glass, Oliver, start helping Len move Miku into the living room. Lapis," Gumi moves over Miku and the wreckage and uses Gumo to prop up Lapis on one side. "Oliver, first aid kit." Oliver picks up the large red bag and tosses it to Gumi. It's surprisingly heavy. No wonder why Miku panicked.

Oliver, after a moment stops. "Did Gumi just take control?"

Len slowly lifts Miku up from the pile of glass. She winces in pain and pants heavily with the strain. "You're fine…" He coaxes, picking her up like she's a piece of paper. "Get the pain meds from Gumi, not too many, we need to save them." Oliver nods and runs down the hall.

Len carries Miku out of the room and Rin cuts in front of him to make it to the couch first. She sweeps off all of Oliver's blankets and pillows and other stuff and Len lies Miku across it. Gumi comes rushing out holding the first aid kit.

"Len, hold her arm up, Rin, take this," Gumi thrusts a bottle of cheap pain medication and a needle into Rin's arms. "Fill it with…" Gumi calculates something in her head, mouthing words and numbers. "…six milliliters. Shake the bottle first. Oliver, bring Lapis out here." Gumi digs in the red bag and grunts in frustration. She runs out of the room for a moment and comes back holding some sort of an elastic strap.

"Where'd that come from?" Len asks. Everyone buzzes around in a flustered and disorganized panic.

"My bra." Len's face turns a horrid shade of red. "You asked!" Gumi wraps the elastic around Miku's upper arm and puts a towel in Miku's hand. She taps Miku on the cheek gently and her eyes flutter open.

"D-don't drop me… no, no more, don't drop, don't drop, Len… don't drop…" Her voice is raspy and disconnected.

"Hey, hey, Miku, squeeze really hard okay, squeeze real tight!" Gumi coaxes her like a child. Rin comes back in holding a now filled needle. Gumi takes it out of Rin's hand and injects it into the vein on Miku's wrist. Instantly Miku lunges forward like a wounded animal, thrashing and screaming beyond recognition. She pants and breathes heavily while she murmurs and shouts incoherently.

"You're okay, you're okay!" Len gently rubs the side of Miku's face. Her eyes burn so bright they look as though they might burn up into ashes.

"Has she fallen before? This looks like a psychiatric meltdown trigged by a trauma!" Gumi snaps her glove back on and grips either side of Miku's skin around a shard of glass between her index finger and thumb. She breathes in deeply.

"Yeah, she was thrown off of a roof… wait, what are you doing?" Len says, watching. The buzz of commotion around the room is thick and frustrating to someone even as focused as Gumi.

"It has to be removed in order for her to heal properly, ne?" Len nods. Gumi suddenly squeezes so hard Miku yelps and just then Gumi tugs the shard out of Miku's flesh. Blood splashes onto the lenses of her goggles. "See, useful." She taps the lese.

"Gumi!" Oliver shouts.

"Len do just what I did, the sedative should calm her down." Gumi turns and bends down, facing the coffee table. Every paper has been swept off and is being carried around the room and being dumped in random corners by Rin while Oliver tries to clean Lapis' cut. Gumi kneels over Lapis. "Oliver did you hear what I said to Rin, when I gave her the sedatives?" Oliver nods. Gumi thrusts the vile and needle into Oliver's hands. The green haired girl pulls Lapis' hand off of her eye and begins to wipe the blood off of her eye lids and away from her actual eye. "Rin!" Gumi shouts.

"Yeah?!" Rin yells from in the kitchen.

"Water! Now, lots of it!"

Gumi bends over Lapis' cut. It's really a bad one. The cut is deep and jagged with little pieces of bark lodged in. The cut is fairly old and wasn't formed when Lapis was attacked by Rin. It is an existing cut that became infected and didn't heal before Rin attacked her. When Rin re opened the injury dirt and wood got in and posed a risk for infection. On top of Lapis dehydration and exhaustion plus her adrenaline and heightened blood loss from her encounter with Rin, her body can't take the strain anymore.

Gumi injects the sedative from Oliver into the same vein she did on Miku.

"Oliver, take this…" Gumi pulls out a small pack of pills. "Crush two up put them in a cup filled with shallow water. Make them into fine powder and stir it so every part of it dissolves."

Rin walks into the living room holding a Tupperware full of water. She sets it down beside Gumi and Gumi dips a washcloth into the bucket. She soaks the hand towel thoroughly and opens Lapis mouth. Gumi crams the cloth inside and closes Lapis' mouth around it.

"Pillows, I need pillows…" Rin hands Gumi all of Oliver's pillows and the two girls prop Lapis' head up so she won't choke on the water.

"Here." Oliver comes back with a cup with little water in it. Gumi takes the washcloth out of Lapis' mouth and dips it into the cup and she doesn't take it out until every last drop of the antibiotic infused mix is absorbed into the cloth. She places it back in Lapis' mouth. Now she addresses the cut.

It isn't serious enough to need stitches but it will need a course of antibiotics to prevent infection and it should be kept covered.

"Band-Aid." Gumi says. Oliver picks up a white self-adhesive rectangular bandage and after thoroughly cleaning out Lapis' cut Gumi places it on. She opens Lapis' mouth slowly and removes the washcloth. It's merely damp now. "Oliver, re-soak this every time the top gets perfectly dry." The eye patched boy nods and Gumi stands, leaving Rin and Oliver with Lapis.

"She's healed herself but she's unconscious." Len says. He places a handful of glass shards on the ground. His face is dark and stoic.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault, or your problem. What happened to Miku happened because of her actions. Len, you had no influence in this." Gumi's voice is cold, emotionless, sharp. Every word is perfectly calculated, just like every word has been since she took control.

Len is somehow upset by this, but he can't figure out why. "That's- that's so-"

"Right. I'm right Len." Gumi's face is bland and blank of all expression. To be blunt it's scary. "I'm not insulting Miku, which, by the way, is why you think you're mad. You're mad at yourself because you think that because you sent her in there it is your fault she got hurt."

Len's face becomes twisted into a look of disgust. "How do you-"

"I'm a people-reader, Len." Gumi smiles, removing her goggles and placing them back on top of her mass of green hair. The room is dark now, the only light coming from the lamp in the corner and the flooding in kitchen lights. "It's too dark…" Gumi stands and walks out.

A little while later, after the kitchen has been cleaned and every light in the house is on, everyone somehow meets back in the living room after spending all that time doing their own things. Lapis has been moved into Miku's room and Miku has taken Oliver's usual spot on the couch. Len is sitting beside her, unmoving, but back to his normal self. Rin is in her chair with her feet up as usual, watching some horror movie with zombies in it, and Gumi is sitting on a pillow on the floor, polishing her crowbar. Oliver is sitting in the chair next to Rin.

"Gumi?" Len asks. Rin turns down the movie.

"Mm?"

"How did you know what to do? You know, with all the medical stuff?"

"My mom was a pediatric surgeon." Gumi says, not looking up. She says it normally with a totally bland expression.

"I thought you said you had no family." Rin says.

"I don't." Gumi responds, disinterested.

"Then, what happened?" Rin asks.

Gumi looks up, a new and slightly frightening glazed look in her eyes. "People die, Rin. It's part of life. She died a long time ago. I used to sit in the gallery sometimes when I was younger and watch her perform surgeries if my babysitter wasn't around. I read some of her medical books too instead of coloring books. Some of it stuck, I guess."

She sets aside the polishing rag and lies the crowbar across her lap, she turns her attention to the movie. "Oo, turn it up, I love this part!"

Oliver, after a minute or to, steps outside. The cold night air freezes his skin but he remains. Oliver stays there for a long time before he hears the door behind him open.

"Hey." Rin says, standing beside him.

"What do you want?" He doesn't look at her.

"Everyone else has gone to bed. Len moved Miku into our room so you have the couch back."

"Where're you gonna sleep?"

"Not going to. My turn for watch anyways. Besides, who else knows who's stalking us out here… we've been here too long. We need to refocus. Get back to finding IA and Miki. We're all too soft now. The trauma softened us. Gumi took control today. Gumi. And it was just over a couple of accidents and we were all running around like headless chickens. It can't happen again. We shouldn't waste time with any more petty distractions again." Rin sighs, kicking a piece of hair out of her face and pulling her jacket tighter around her waist. Her breath hangs in the air as warm mist before getting devoured by the cold.

"Rin…" Oliver starts to say something.

"Yeah?"

Silence.

"Nothing, it's fine." Oliver sighs dryly, leaning into the wall of the house and pressing his finger to his temple.

"Yeah..." They stand there for a long time. "Oliver? Do you blame us?" He glances at Rin from out of the corner of his eye. He looks away quickly. Rin's feathery blonde hair whips around her face in the frigid night wind, her bangs only kept out of her face by the four pearl white clips she treasures. Her bow flaps gently on top of her blonde head. Her eyes burn brightly against the dark abyss of the night sky.

"Yes."

"Yeah."

They stand there for a long time.

* * *

**Character Pole:**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**Gumi-8**

**Len-6**

**IO- 3**

**IA- 2**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Oliver- 2  
**

**Gumo- 2 (Yay crowbars X3~! +1 from my loving crowbar, Stanley)**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1 **

**Thanks to reviewers:  
**

**`XxKingArthurlllxX**

**`zhane17**

**`MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan**

**`Black White and Superstitious **

**`MT's Souless6**

**`awesome dt**

**`icelandicpuffincat**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	9. On The Edge

_X~47~X_

"So… what does it feel like?"

"Huh?"

"…to die. What does it feel like?" Oliver turns to give Rin a brief sideways glance. Rin gulps, tipping her head back and squinting her eyes closed, swiping her tangled and feathery golden hair out of her burning crimson eyes. She sighs deeply as if releasing a ball of pent up energy she didn't know she had contained inside.

Rin pulls her windbreaker tighter over her shoulders, shrinking into the fuzzy white lining of the hood. Her breath comes out as a puff of steam in the air and she violently crams her hands into her pockets, her tight jeans swishing in the sudden gust of chilly wind. It is early in the morning and the two had been walking along silently in the woods towards the nearest convenient store/gas station about three miles down the road, once you get out of the forest of course. It would have been easier to drive but they can't really afford to waste the fuel when they can easily walk.

"It hurts. I feel the pain and sometimes it's agonizing and feels like it'll tear me apart, and other times… it feels… calming to embrace the darkness after the pain. Sometimes it's brief and sometimes it's… forever." Rin tips her head downwards, suddenly wrapped up in watching her boots crunch against the filthy dried leaves.

"Should I not have asked?" Oliver zips his deep navy blue hoodie to the top and pulls the hood over his head, warming his cheeks. His thick grey cargo pants with multiple pockets swish loudly against each other. The sound was at first irritating and then suddenly calming. Rhythmic. Predictable.

"No. I just…" Rin cracks her knuckles against the side of her neck. "…don't usually talk about it." She puts her fists into her pockets again, nearly stumbling into a tree.

The silent understanding that had suddenly burst forth from their confrontation the night before had blossomed into their own empty language. With their wordless gaps in brief conversation it seemed to both of them that they said more in their silences than in their exchanges.

Rin nervously itches the back of her neck. This silence was somehow bothersome.

"Is there a heaven, Rin?"

His question, spoke in such a dry and emotionless tone, stung with a brutal impact on Rin's character. What had he been going through? Rin thinks bitterly, remembering his face after Yuki's death.

"I won't lie to you, Oliver. You aren't a child and it isn't my job to shelter you." She sighs again, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she slows to his pace. They walk side by side now, their feet crunching into the leaves. "There's nothing. I don't remember anything until the minute I breathe my last breath to the moment my heart starts beating again. It's like a huge but insignificant block in my memory."

"So, you don't want to know?" Oliver is slightly taken aback by her statement, but not enough to have it show physically or in his voice.

"No… I just…"

They walk along in their wordless silence for a long moment. A raven swoops low over the tree tops as the two emerge from the forest onto the dirt road leading into the main lobby of the  
"cabin" complex. The road is surrounded on either side by winding dark brown and green mountains, the dead and wilted yellow tall grass covered in a thin sheet of frost.

Oliver pushes a strand of hair out of his eye and back over his white bandage that serves as an eye patch. The sun has slowly crept behind the light grey, low hanging, and thick storm clouds, its last rays of pure yellow light being swallowed up by the monotone curtain in the sky. The now grey sky is illuminated with a grey light that catches the frost and holds it, reflecting like icing on cake.

"Even if there is a heaven, I don't think I'd belong there. I don't think me and God would get along very well." Rin breathes her words like a burden and they escape through her chapped lips as warm steam hanging in the frigid morning air.

"What was the first time you died?" Oliver turns to face Rin fully this time. The two stand on the side of the road, staring. Expressionless, wordless.

Rin begins walking again first. "I don't remember. I've died too many deaths to mark them as separate events anymore. I think I've died more than I've lived." The silence is heavy now, and somber. "Does this bother you?" Rin glances over her shoulder at Oliver. He is barely a foot behind. His eyes are tired, but awake.

"If it did do you think I would still be asking?" Rin utters a dry chuckle, pinching the bride of her nose and snapping her knuckles against her neck again. "Rin?"

"Mm?"

"Does Len hate me?"

"W-what?" Rin chuckles, sneering. "What the hell?"

"The way he looks at me… I've seen that look before."

"Len… Len… he hates everything. He'd never admit it, but he does. I've known him since we were so young…" Rin smiles to herself for a brief second. "He's such a cynical bastard…"

Oliver chuckles now. "Really?"

"Tch, he hates more than me. He just… is so… quiet about it. He's just-"

"-quiet." Oliver finishes for her.

"Why do you think he hates you?"

"Just… the way he looks _at _me. He looks right _at _me, as if he's staring me down. He just… _looks _at me."

"You're full of shit, Oliver."

"As are you." With a small chuckle Rin playfully elbows Oliver in the ribs. He grunts, she did it a little harder than she expected. He doesn't seem to mind.

The wind blows past the two, through their bodies, now linked with the air and their silent speech. The two blondes chuckle at the same time, their voices seeping into the cold air. If you had asked either why they were laughing, they would have laughed.

"Rin?"

"Mm?"

"What's the worst way you've died?"

Rin visibly cringed, but only for a flicker of a moment. A brief passing millisecond in time. "I was… young. Pretty young, not little, but like nine or ten. I don't remember a lot about it, but I know I was alone. Len wasn't there. I was siting… alone and I drank this cup of water." The wind hisses through the bow on her head as the two pass onto the asphalt and onto the road now. The mountains have gone behind them now and on either side is an empty plane of grass coated with a light layer of snow. Not really snow, it is too thin, too weak for that. "It burned. It rose up like a fire inside of me and burned me from the inside out. The fire spread like a liquid, racing through my body until I just… collapsed. I didn't even cry I just… bled. It was like the tears were my blood and I was bleeding them from my eyes. It burned, singed, raged like a wild fire until it just burst."

Oliver kicks a stone across the road and it thumps into the thin sheet of frost, leaving a tiny black hole in the perfectly white field.

"Sometimes, I can feel it again. Whenever I'm at my worst… or when I just feel like my anger is just going to…" She goes quiet. "I feel like I'm burning again. I feel like I'm blazing from the inside out and that I'll just burn to a crisp. And the only difference is I don't bleed. I weep silence."

"Yeah."

Rin sighs, head swimming with faintness and her stomach lurching painfully. Oliver hears it growl as a tiny moan from beside him. Rin says nothing, and he does the same. They don't need to.

About a half hour later a red brick building comes into view. Out front of it are four gas pumps and about eight parking spaces, all but three full. The two pass a green sign reading six miles to the nearest town. As Rin and Oliver trudge up the hill and over the road, nearing the building he catches another glance at her. They're about the same height, and Rin notices him watching her the second he turns. She glares at him, lips pursed.

"So, which one of us is going in?" He asks.

Rin pauses. "I will. Stand guard." Oliver stops at the side of the building facing outwards to the road while Rin walks inside. Oliver leans against the wall and closes his eyes for a very long moment.

"D' hear it on the news?" A female slurs.

"Mm, that's right."

"What channel?" The woman asks.

"Fifteen." The man slurs back.

"Fifteen! That's shit…" Her voice trails off and Oliver cracks an eye to watch two drunk red necks stumble into a pickup truck and pull off onto the road, driving erratically. Who gets drunk at ten in the morning? Oliver groans to himself.

The bell above the store's door chimes and Rin rounds the corner, carrying three plastic grocery bags and folding a wad of cash into her pocket. She leans against the wall next to Oliver and sets two of the bags down in between them.

"Ready?" Oliver asks, picking them up, but not lifting them. Rin fishes in the bag she holds for something.

"No. I want to stay for a minute." She pulls out a small white and deep red box and tears a piece of tape with her finger nail. Rin slides open the lid and pulls out a long, white stick with an orange end. She holds it between her index and middle finger and with her other free hand opens her lighter. Oliver recoils in surprise as Rin inhales deeply, blowing a puff of smoke out above their heads.

"Rin!" He shouts, a little shocked. She sends him a glare that spits fire. She removes the cigarette from her lips with a puff of smoke.

"What? It's not like it'll kill me." She places it back in between her teeth and pinches the bridge of her nose, squinting her eyes closed for a moment.

"How long have you smoked?" He asks, relaxing a little as he watches her blow grey plumes above her head.

"About a year."

"How old are you, Rin?" Oliver asks, leaning forward.

"Fourteen." She replies dryly, inhaling deeply and exhaling longer.

"Shit."

"Shit yourself, eye-patch."

They stand in silence.

"Does Len know?"

"Hell no, moron. If he did do you think he would ever leave my side? I wouldn't be able to piss alone!" She takes another large breath.

Oliver chuckles at her language. "So, our secret?"

"_My _secret. You say a word to him or leek face or crowbar girl, I will end you." She hisses in between breaths. The stick has gotten shorter now.

"Can't he smell it on you?" Oliver asks.

"It's not like I sit in his lap or that he sniffs me regularly." Rin removes the last of the cigarette from her mouth and slams the butt end against the brick of the wall. She rubs it a little, digging it into the side and tearing the last shreds of the casing.

Oliver grabs the other two bags and they begin to walk. The building fades away from the horizon behind them and the mountains begin to slowly climb above the horizon, seemingly and eternity away.

"Does it help?"

Rin knew what he meant without asking. "No."

"Then why do you still do it, if you say it isn't an addiction?"

Rin sighs, cramming her hands back into her pockets. "Because it's… plain. It's numb and it's simple and it's… burning."

"Can I-"

"No." Rin snaps, glaring. "Get your own damn pack, eye-patch." Oliver chuckles a little and the two walk on. As the two turn into the dirt path and enter the forest, Oliver stops for a moment, winded. "You okay?" Rin asks, looking down at him.

"Yeah. These are heavy. Long walk."

Rin sits beside him, the bags between them. A bird caws above and Oliver puts his head between his knees, his legs to his chest. Rin tips her head back up to the sky and utters a disgruntled noise, as if something she imagined bothered her.

"Oliver?"

"Yeah?"

"If you secretly _were _a pirate, you would tell me, right?" Oliver chuckles.

"Just because I'm blind in one eye doesn't make me a pirate, Rin."

"Yeah it does."

"Yeah. Rin?"

"What?" She looks up at him, turning her head sideways. Her messy blonde hair dangles just in front of her burning bright eyes and her dirt smudged face speaks to him with her flickering eyes. Their silence says more than even they know. The silence communicates for them, bending and twisting. And neither understood the other's message until they had leaned in and their lips had touched.

Oliver's hands cradle Rin from the bottom of her head, his fingers gently tracing down her neck as she leans into him, falling in the crook of his arm. Her hands pull gently on his lower back, the two are cemented, their silence no longer full. She tastes of cigarettes and oranges, he tastes of earth and mint.

The two pull away, and lock eyes. Amber and a burning, fiery red, pulsing with energy. Rin cracks a smile and the two simply begin to laugh.

And their laughter fills their silence.

And their silence fills with air.

* * *

**Kyaaahhhhh~! X3  
**

**Official ship number one: Oliver X Rin. Some of you saw that one coming... **

**Character Pole:**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**Gumi-8**

**Len-8  
**

**IO- 3**

**Oliver- 3**

**IA- 2**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Gumo- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1**

**Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, I had some stuff going on this week... Anyways hope this chapter was satisfactory, I know it was short though so gommene!**

**_~Tiruneko ;3_**


	10. Hero

**Hello minna! **

**I'm so sorry, this update was wayyyy late but I've had a pretty busy past couple of weeks. I know this chapter is a little short too but I wanted to release it as soon as possible. There will most likely be some minor grammar issues and stuff but I didn't have time to edit... *sigh* Anyways, it's better than nothing and I wanted to give you all something to hold you over until the next part of the story!**

**There will be one of my weird little questions at the bottom of the chapter and It'd be great if you could all include your answer in your review, it would help a lot!**

**I know my twist at the last chapter was sortof out of my zone (by sort of I mean GAH I re wrote that SOOO many times I have no idea what I'm doing, screaming inside my head panic mode writing). But I think it's good for me to try and do stuff I'm not really comfortable with so I can get better at it. Thanks for the positive feed back, and don't worry my action and horror lovers, All The Fragile Ones will still strictly remain as gorey and actiony as ever. The story will not mainly follow this new ship, I promise. ^^**

**Thanks to reviewers:**

**`XxKingArthurlllxX**

**`Awesome D.T**

**`MT's Souless6**

**`zhane 17**

**`arosecas4**

**`Alice In MadLand**

**`MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan**

**`Black White and Superstitious **

**`Guest**

**`IcelandicPuffinCat**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~47~X_

Oliver wakes up from a rather confusing dream to find he's very hot. Sweat rolls off of his forehead and only when he opens one eye does he realize it's because of Rin. He chooses to ignore the feeling and slowly inches upwards, sitting against the arm rest of the couch. Beside him, buried into the crook of his arm, is Rin. Her left leg and arm hand lazily off the edge, her fingers grazing the floor and the blankets matted around her legs. Her hair, untamed by her usual clips and bow, lies like a feathery mop in spidery patterns and clumps on her face. Her mouth is wide open and Oliver listens softly to her breath, as if he didn't expect it to be there.

The couch is small and his position is a little uncomfortable, so, without waking her up, he eases Rin's head across his chest and scoots down a little off of the arm rest. She garbles something incoherent, a lingering remnant from her dream, and almost immediately falls back asleep. Oliver yawns, stretching his arm tighter across her shoulders. Rin shifts unconsciously under the new weight and lets out a large release of air, curling slightly and then relaxing again.

As the early dawn light spills out from the glass walls into the room and around the two on the couch Oliver's eyes adjust to the glare, creating tiny white spots of light in his vision. A bird screeches somewhere off in the distance and the smell of last night's coffee drifts in from the kitchen.

_So much for watch duty…_ Oliver thinks, smirking to himself. Rin nearly passed out, considering she hadn't slept the night before and took a nearly thirty five mile round trip walk yesterday. He wasn't too far behind. They woke up around midnight together and he followed her outside for a little while when she decided she wanted to smoke. When he asked her why she simply replied, "Nightmare." And the subject was dropped.

As the gradually swelling warmth from outside the windows swells and his skin seems to warm even more, the sounds of all the birds suddenly fade and disappear. Oliver feels a creeping sense of dread clutch at him but he pushes it away forcefully, gulping down the hollowing feeling like water over a dry throat. In that moment the world seems to hang, suspended in a thickening silence, teetering on the edge with anticipation of the next noise.

Rin's face suddenly scrunches up and a loud buzzing explodes in her ears suddenly, like a wave, jarring her from sleep. She blinks one long moment and tries to ignore the sound. Oliver's eyes travel downwards and land on hers. "Morning…" She mutters. Then the noise swells like a clap and her hands instinctively fly to her ears.

"Rin… your eyes…" Oliver's own eye widens in horror at the brilliant shade of crimson swimming around her pupils. The red in her eyes is neon, almost gleaming like a crystal.

"Miku…" Len reaches out to touch the panicking teal haired girl on her shoulder. Her hands claw furiously at her ears. Len can hear it too, _God what is that sound? _

"M-make the buzzing stop… make it stop…" Her hands begin to shake and twitch violently around her ears and as if watching a movie play out from slow motion, he remembers.

It all slowly begins to click into place, the noise. That eerie and furious ringing that always comes right before anything bad ever happens… that swelling… burning… _buzz… _

Rin, as if being driven by an instinctual force, suddenly lurches forward, jumping on top of Oliver's body on all fours. Her hands fly up and grip around the back of his head, curling his chin to his chest in anticipation.

Then the silence tips.

An explosion of glass rains down on the floor with a loud pop and a burst of white light. Thick grey smoke fills the air and the scent of pepper is overwhelming. Rin, crouching over Oliver, pulls the collar of his shirt over his face and holds him there as jagged shards of glass begin to pelt her from all sides. She bites her tongue to keep from screaming. The pain is immense and her breathing is slowly becoming labored. Her back stings and burns and with each intake of breath the shards are pushed deeper in, then gradually forced out. Blood squirts like water out of a sprinkler from each cut and Rin's once white shirt is now a soaking red that begins to seep onto the blankets and Oliver's body beneath her.

Footsteps gradually approach behind Rin and she holds her head leveled. Her eyes begin to burn violently, tears clawing like talons at her eyes. But she isn't crying.

A figure is standing behind her, she can feel the person's breath through what sounds like a gas mask. Rin begins to cough and sputter violently, the tear gas flooding her system like a thick poison. A brown haired woman raises a pistol and presses it into Rin's temple.

"Let's see what you're hiding under you, oh I dearly hope it's a new toy… I simply love breaking them." Meiko hisses, smirking.

A loud gunshot pops through the house and Meiko staggers backwards, head reeling from a sudden blunt impact. A smoking bullet hole lies in the wood floor and a flash of yellow blurs across Rin's red-impaired sight. The yellow blur surges upwards with incredible speed and Meiko nearly falls backwards, barely dodging. Her limbs clumsily flail around her as she searches for the trigger of her pistol. The yellowish-orange spins, creating an oval with it's speed, and comes crashing down, almost impossible to follow with your eyes. As Meiko skids on her back across the room, crashing into the coffee table, the figure and yellow blur halt immediately, frozen in space for a moment.

Gumi stands, her now bloody crowbar draped across her shoulders like a broom. Her goggles cover her eyes and a white bandana is tied around her mouth and nose. Her boots clink against the glass as she runs over to Rin and Oliver, tossing Meiko's gun into her pocket.

Len comes skidding out of the hallway, barely dodging the fist of a watcher as it flies over his head. He returns a harsh kick into the man's ribs and the force sends him hurling backwards. Len, with one more kick to the man's face, shatters his mask and crushes his nose with a spray of blood. "Rin!" He shouts, panicked as his eyes fall on the blonde, close to death.

The popping of a bullet from a gun whizzes through the air and misses, sailing just above Gumi's head. In a fraction of a second she has drawn a slim green dart from her pocket and returned the shot with an arsenal of her sharpened and rusty new long range weapons. Gumi skids to a stop in front of the couch and rips the pillowcase off of Oliver's pillow. She tears it into one long rectangle with her bare hands and gently eases Rin back off of Oliver. The smoke is starting to clear, the troops called "watchers" will be moving in soon. Gumi ties the cloth around Oliver's nose and mouth and taps him roughly on the shoulder, shouting, "Let's go!"

Oliver's burning eyes slowly open and he quickly needs to close them. Not because of the tear gas, but because of what he _saw. _Rin's body is still hovering just above his own, her eyes not even an inch from his. Blood trickles out of her mouth and through the corner of her mouth streaming steadily through each crack in her lips and dribbling on Oliver's cheek. His breathing becomes ragged and frantic, his pupils shrinking with panic. Rin's own breathing is so infrequent it seems every time she exhales it will be her last breath.

"Oh God, Rin…" The burning sting of tear gas stabs into his lungs violently and Oliver retches as a splatter of blood lands on his eye patch.

Len's hands wrap around Rin's waist and he drags her off of Oliver. She doesn't even groan at the pain, it's too fierce to feel anymore.

"Rin…" Len drapes her over his shoulders, pinning her to his back with one of his arms. Rin lies nearly lifeless across his back. "Oliver…" Len coughs violently. "Come on…" He pulls the shaking boy to his feet and Gumi skids to a stop in front of them, halting them in their path.

A masked Watcher is forcing her into the wall by her shoulders, Gumi pushing the blunt end of Gumo into his chest. She brings her knee up, smashing into his stomach. The man falls to the ground in his own vomit and Gumi places Meiko's gun in Len's hand.

"I'll get Miku and Lapis. You guys get the car. Drive exactly thirty miles north and pull onto the side of the road. Make sure you're not followed, I'll see you there." Gumi winks, darting off as the smoke begin to clear. Len's eyes burn with tears from the sting of the gas.

"Len!" Miku shouts, hiding in the entrance way of the hallway. She cowers behind Lapis, her eyes wide with dangerous excitement. "Len!" Miku can feel the panic seeping into her voice and she begins to shudder with fear.

"There!" Lapis points out of the hallway and through the slowly dispersing smoke at a bobbing blonde head crawling out of the shattered glass of the wall.

"Len!"

"Len, Len, Len. Is that all you ever say?" A harsh female voice seethes behind them. Miku shrieks, spinning around and cowering behind Lapis.

"M-Ms. Megurine…" Lapis stutters, gulping down palpable fear.

Luka stands in front of the two girls, a gun clutched in each hand, aimed at the heads of both girls. Her eyes spit fire and her mouth is pulled into a thin, emotionless smile. Miku pulls Lapis into her chest, terrified.

"Oh, the Shion child remembers me. Great, that makes introductions much simpler…" Luka hisses through brutally clenched teeth. She sneers, eyes glittering with malice. Her knuckles are white around the handle of the gun. "Oh I've needed this… I've _needed _this…" She begins to laugh hysterically, her pink pony tail bobbing behind her head like a whip. "Oh… The Lord hath given me a blessing today… all of that damn office work was _killing _me! Now then let's-"

A large tea pitcher smashes into Luka's face and a gunshot discharges throughout the hallway. Miku collapses onto the ground, her hands gripping her ears so tight the tips begin to whiten. Her pupils shrink into tiny black pin points in the swimming red depths of her eyes and her breathing stops all together. Lapis drops down in front of her, grabbing Miku's wrists and attempting to pull her up. "C-mon Miku, we've gotta' go!" They had gotten lucky that Miku forgot the tea pot on the shelf in the hallway. Lapis is out of ideas and Luka's angry with a gun.

"OH!" Her voice is shrill and furious. "OH you _bitch_!" Luka's face is completely numb and a sharp ringing rockets throughout her ears. "I will _KILL YOU!" _Her roar rips through the air like a shrill cry of an enraged beast, and once she final rears her head upright, no one is there. The hallway is empty, and the two are gone.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Yuuma?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired…" IA whimpers, reaching her small, tube like arms upwards. They wrap around his arm like rope, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. She clings to his arm, resting her cheek on the side of it and closing her eyes, walking lifelessly along his side. IO trots behind her, reaching up a hand to rub his eye.

"Don't worry, we'll get to the motel soon." Yuuma looks down at her and removes his right hand from his pocket, placing it on top of her head and ruffling her hair gently. She's so childish and sweet. IA cracks a tiny smile and IO frowns from behind. IO moves around to IA's other side, pouting, and grips her free hand away from Yuuma. So IA slouches over IO's shoulders, her arms wrapped around his neck. He seems happy to be supporting her and only slows slightly.

The group walk along in silence until the florescent sign of a middle of nowhere motel flickers to life on the hill. "Nearly there." Yuuma says gently.

IA gives a weak nod and yawns. IO shifts a little under her weight. She's practically lying across his back. They're about the same size, too.

The old motel looks like it only has about twelve rooms, all on one floor. Only three cars are in the cracked asphalt parking lot and the O in the motel sign flickers from green to a mucus colored yellow. Yuuma tentatively pushes open the door, ducking to avoid the chime in the frame. He is very, very tall and thin for his age, a mere fifteen.

"Can I help you?" The woman at the counter grumbles, clearly not happy to be there. A mass of frizzy, fake blonde hair sits in a tangled hive on top of her round face. Her cheeks are covered in dark brown freckles, indistinguishable from one another, forming brown circles on her cheeks and around her eyes.

"Uh, one room with two beds please." Yuuma fishes a wad of cash out of his pocket and counts out the last of the money. The woman seems more than disinterested in Yuuma. She reaches into a drawer on the desk and drops a red key into his hand.

"Enjoy your stay." Her speech is slurred and she smells like alcohol and cigarettes.

Yuuma nods and picks up IA off of IO's back. IO scowls, frowning at Yuuma. He carries IA, nearly asleep, out of the lobby and into the main hallway. The numbers on their door are faded and chipping. He pushes open the door and IO grips his leg, hiding behind him. He utters a tiny whimper.

"IO?" He asks, confused.

IO shudders behind him. "It's… dark." Yuuma flicks on the light switch and the florescent bulbs flicker and surge to life overhead. The beds are covered in a rusty, orange-red color with golden flower patterns. IO's eyes widen with excitement and their red depths swirl. He races over to the bed closest to the window and reaches out a finger to touch it. He gasps and pulls away quickly. "Soft…"

Yuuma lets IA down gently and she yawns, her eyes half closed, and walks over to the bed that IO is standing in front of. She waits for something, as if expecting a silent cue. Yuuma glances at her. "What?"

"…Len always checks… 'Tells me when it's safe…" She mutters softly. The young girl is clearly exhausted.

Yuuma smiles. "You're good." IA nods and climbs up on the bed, crawling to the far side and squirming under the blankets. IO watches her in anticipation. She turns her head slightly sideways, questioning him as Yuuma begins to unload his backpack.

IA pats the spot next to her and IO nods, gulping, and crawls up to lie beside her. As IA gets comfortable and closes her eyes, IO watches her protectively. Soon IA's breathing calms and she's sound asleep. IO succumbs to the soft folds of the mattress and soon finds himself wrapped in the blankets, curled against IA's soft body, sleeping.

* * *

**Random Question Previously Mentioned: Hi guys! So I was wondering about my chapter names. I've been trying to make them sound cooler and more "deepish" and I was wondering about them. So, my question is, my past few chapter names have been a little less blunt than usual. I'm interested to know about what your take on them is and what you think each one means specifically (related to said chapter of course). It'd be great to know what you think, but if this is totally lame and stupid don't worry about it ^**

**Character Pole:**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**Gumi-8**

**Len-8  
**

**IO- 3**

**Oliver- 3**

**IA- 2**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Gumo- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1**

**Yuuma- 1**

_~**Tiruneko ;3**_


	11. Are You Afraid?

**I am soooo sorry this chapter is WAY later then I had planned! I've been busy working on some other writing stuff and even busier with school stuff! I know this chapter is shorter than the last too but I wanted to publish it as soon as I could. I promise that this time, it was REALLY worth it. I swear!  
**

**By the way, last chapter I realzied I didn't really make the timelines between Yuuma's group and Miku's group very clear. Last chapter I meant to have had that scene with Yuuma at the motel set the night before the day where Rin and everyone get attacked, if that makes sense. So there was supposed to be a small time difference there, if that helps. I really did jump around quite a bit with that so hopefully this helps to know now. **

**(I'll list reviewers next chapter, too lazy right now, but you know who you all are~!) Enjoy as always,**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~48~X_

"Lapis, can you drive a car?" Gumi asks, throwing Miku a little roughly into the backseat of the van and slamming the door behind her with a loud thud. She swings the crowbar outwards and it connects with the side of a Watcher, sending them down with a painful cry and a crunch of bone against the asphalt.

"S-sure?" Lapis stutters, locking the doors after Gumi flings herself down in the passenger's seat.

"Never mind that…" Gumi says, watching Meiko comes scrambling out of the house with Gakupo and Luka not far behind.

"H-here!" Lapis hands Gumi a pistol she took from an unconscious Watcher. Gumi immediately recoils, dropping the gun onto the floor of the car and tensing instantly.

Gumi crawls over Lapis and pushes her out of the driver's seat, forcing her into the passenger's side. "Pick up the gun." Gumi orders a little forcefully. "Cock it and start shooting." Gumi rolls down the window and begins to speed out of the camp recklessly as Lapis shoots like a crazy person out of the window. Her aim is decent enough but the kickback is too strong for her and the noise seems to bother her a lot. She does okay though and their newly stolen car speeds along quickly onto the freeway.

Gumi makes an erratic turn onto some back roads until their driving along a nearly abandoned dirt road parallel to a hiking trail. Only after this does Gumi release a long exhaling breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Miku?" She turns around, looking over her shoulder into the backseat. Her face is pale and her eyes are a little sunken. She turns her head, previously bent in an uncomfortable position looking out of the window, and nods at Gumi. "You okay?" Miku nods again, turning back to look out the window.

"Alright. We're going to meet Len now, you know. They got out, Miku. I watched them." Gumi says, giving Miku a flawless, yet fake, smile.

Lapis sighs, looking at the gun in her hands and remembering Gumi's reaction. "Gumi?" She asks, turning to her.

"Mm?" Gumi says, reaching to turn on the radio of the stolen car.

"Are you afraid of guns?" Lapis asks her, pushing a strand of neon blue hair out of her swimming eyes. Gumi pulls her hand away from the radio controls and cackles loudly. She reaches her hand out for the radio controls again and responds blandly.

"Hell no. They just…", she sighs as she tunes the radio to a rock station. ", remind me of stuff I'd rather not think about."

"Oh." Lapis turns away to look out the window.

"Len?" Oliver asks, glancing out the back window.

"What?" Len tenses, gripping the steering wheel even tighter than he had been before. His scraggly dark blonde hair falls in his flaming red eyes. He growls a little under his breath as a sharp pain juts through his side from where he was kicked by Gakupo.

"I think we're being followed." Oliver gulps. In his lap Rin tenses, coughing a raged bloody breath and splattering blood on herself. Blood is still steadily seeping out of her back and onto Oliver's clothes and the seat of the car bellow them. Her eyes are clenched shut in pain but she is fully conscious and groans as Oliver finishes speaking.

Len curses under his breath and glances upwards into the rear view mirror. Behind them is a silver car with a figure sitting in the driver's seat. The windows are too tinted to see inside of and Len growls under his breath again, speeding up instantly. Oliver lurches in the backseat. He's always been motion sick, and looking down at Rin's gruesome injuries and state doesn't really help.

She moans in pain and wretches forward, eventually collapsing again back onto Oliver. He moves at first to put his hand on her head, and pulls away at the last second, grimacing and turning away.

"It's probably just Gumi, right?" Oliver says, hopeful yet cautious.

"I don't know. We should assume the worst, just to be safe. If it was Gumi, she would have waved to us by now." The other blonde says.

"No… they look like they're about her height." Oliver says, glancing back again. The car is further away now. It hasn't sped up at all.

"It could just be a tall person slouching if they really wanted to mess with us, Oliver." Len hisses.

Just then, from a turnoff in front of them, another car peels onto the freeway. Len squints to see up through the back windshield of the car to see a hand raised into a thumbs up. Gumi.

"Shit. That's Gumi. Which means…" Oliver gulps and glances behind him again, his voice dropping off. The car behind them speeds up and then swerves violently until straightening out again on the road. It's getting closer.

Len honks his horn loudly and Gumi lurches forward, dramatically speeding up her car and pulling it to a stop in the middle of the road, creating a sort-of block. Len does the same.

"Shit Len! The hell do you think you're doing?!" Oliver shouts, gripping the door of the car to not fall out of the seat.

"Dealing with the problem." He picks up Rin's gun off of the passenger's side and he crouches below the window of the car and watches in the rear view as the car behind them screeches to a stop. Len turns his head to see Gumi flop out of her car, crowbar in hand. She crouches behind it, waiting.

Len slowly creeps out of the side of the car facing Gumi's, so he has protection on either side. He crouches down, creeping forward until he's at the front of the car. All he has to do is reach an arm out and shoot.

He hears the bang of their car door shut and footsteps on the asphalt, hot from the heat of the afternoon sun. Len thought they had been driving long enough for Luka and the others to not have followed them. Or at least he thought so.

Len creeps back behind the car and loudly whispers to Gumi. "Stay behind me, I'll be your cover. I'm almost out of ammo though."

"Alright." Gumi slides over the hood of her car and Lapis behind her. The three crouch behind Len's car, waiting. "Where's Rin?"

"Car. She hasn't… died yet." Len says, grimacing.

"Let's just get this over with." Gumi sighs, following Len to the other side of the car.

Len inhales deeply and rockets out from behind the car, gun outstretched. At the sight of bright pink hair Len pulls the trigger. The gun shot rings out, but the figure had dropped in time. Len shudders as the figure pulls themselves upright again, standing warily. It's not Luka.

A tall boy with light pink hair mostly concealed under a black beanie hat stands, hands up above his head. He looks a little flustered, but not really afraid. His skin is bizarrely pale and a grey hoodie hands around his shoulders. Black cargo pants swoosh around him as he stands to his full height beside the car, waiting.

"Lenny!" A high pitched child's voice wails from inside of the car. The passenger's door immediately and violently swings open, two figures crashing out. One of the figures is below the other, and lands face first on the asphalt, nearly trampled by the other. The figure on top scrambles from off of the figure below them and bolts upright, running forwards.

The distance between the two cars is long and the pink haired boy throws out an arm that the small figure crashes into.

A girl with extremely pale blonde, nearly white hair that reaches down to her calves stands behind the boy's arm, her red eyes swimming with tears. Her mouth is pulled into a wide, ear-to-ear grin and her hands grip around the boy's arm, nearly jumping over him. The boy mouths something to her and the girl stops. She is wearing a pink skirt and an orange and white striped oversized hoodie. Len's hoodie. She has no shoes on. Two face framing strands of her hair are braided and the rest of the cascading strands are free of tangles and matts.

The last figure pushes himself off of the asphalt and slowly walks to stand next to the girl with a palpable air of uncertainty. He has scraggly pale-blonde hair almost the same shade as the girl's and is wearing a crème colored pull over hoodie and jeans. His shoes are white Velcro sneakers with red laces. As he approaches the girl he stands very close to her, yet immediately behind her. Like a close following shadow. His mouth is pulled into a frown and his red eyes scowl at the small trio behind the cars.

"IA…" Len immediately drops his gun to the ground and takes one step forward. Yuuma tenses, stepping backwards abruptly. IA steps back with him, his arm still outstretched in front of her, preventing the girl from going any closer.

Yuuma whispers to IA. "Are you sure it's him?" IA nods, eyes full of tears of joy.

"Yes!" She nearly shrieks.

Yuuma begrudgingly and slowly lowers his arm. With a surge of energy IA runs forward as Len takes another step. Len slowly reaches out both of his arms and IA throws both of her arms out and above her head. She jumps suddenly and with a soft thump she crashes into Len's arms.

He scoops her up as is she's light as air and IA throws her small and frail arms around his neck. IA buries her face in his shoulder and Len stands, holding her, dumbfounded. IA begins to sob into his chest, clutching him with all the strength the weak girl can muster.

Gumi and Lapis creep out from behind the car. Gumi lowers her crowbar and puts one hand on her hip, smirking. "Well. This was unexpected."

"Who are-"

"IA. She's the last one of them. She got kidnaped when Demon's Crow showed up last." Gumi explains. Miku slowly eases out of the car and creeps up behind Gumi and Lapis.

"Is that-…!" Miku rushes forward as Len lowers IA out of his arms. IA runs into Miku's legs, wrapping her arms around her.

"Miku!" She cries.

"IA!" Miku puts her hand on top of IA's head and closes her eyes for a moment, smiling. "Where did-?" Her eyes fall forward on the two figures standing not too far away now. They've begun walking and are fairly close to the other group now.

Miku gasps, staggering backwards. The color of Yuuma's hair strikes terror into Miku and she shies away out of IA's grasp, falling behind Len and cowering.

IA stands just in front of Len with a confused look on her face as IO and Yuuma approach from behind, IO hiding behind Yuuma's legs.

"Gumi?" Len prompts. Gumi picks up Gumo off the hood of Len's car and places it in her hands, smacking it against her palm and walking forward.

"A-A-Alright…" Gumi says, drawing out the A and stepping next to Len protectively.

"Woah…" Yuuma puts up his hands defensively and then lowers one to put it on IO's head and keep him safely behind his back.

"Who the hell are you?" Len asks.

"Hey that's my line!" Gumi pouts.

"Yuuma. Are you Len?"

"…Yes." Len replies cautiously. "How do you have IA with you?"

"I rescued her." Yuuma raises an eyebrow, becoming slightly angry at Len's lack of knowledge.

"You?" Len scoffs. "Who are you working for?"

"No one." Yuuma states dryly.

IA turns away from Len, walking over to Yuuma and pulling on his hoodie. Yuuma lowers his other hand and threads his hands through IA.

"IA… come here." Len says gently.

"O-okay." She slowly moves forward. IO lurches out from behind Yuuma and grabs IA by the hand, pulling her back. He wraps both of his arms around one of IA's and she stops walking.

Len, Gumi, Miku, and Lapis suck in a gasp of breath when IO's eyes meet theirs. IA continues to walk towards Len with IO gripping her hand tightly.

"IA… who is he?" Len asks with a shaky voice.

"I'm IO." IO says firmly, glaring at Len.

"IO?" Gumi walks forward, Gumo slung over her shoulder. She bends down in front of IA and IO and IO shies away behind IA. Yuuma stalks forward, about to say something. "Woah, woah, calm down pinky." Gumi says, putting a hand on IA's head. IA smiles.

"Hi Gumi!" She says.

"Hi, IA." She smiles. Gumi turns to IO. "Hi, IO." IO frowns. "Are you guys okay?" She asks.

"Yes!" IA leans forward, whispering in Gumi's ear. "Yuuma saved us." She pulls away, smiling. Gumi smiles back.

"Great." She stands, walking past the two children and standing in front of Yuuma. She is almost a full foot shorter than him. "I'll say what these asses aren't, but should. Thanks, Yuuma. I'm Gumi. The blue haired one's Lapis, teal haired one, Miku, and angry blondie is Len."

"R-right. Are you with the Akuma too?" Yuuma says nervously.

"Akuma? You mean the demon kids? Hell yeah." Gumi smirks. "Have the Demon's Crow group found you yet?"

"No, I don't think they have."

"Fine, then we'll take your car, just to be sure." Gumi turns around. "Lapis! Get Oliver and Rin, Miku, you're okay. He's not going to hurt you."

"Gumi-" Len protests. "We don't even know him!"

"Len, you're being idiotic. If Rin was 'good' right now, she'd agree. Yuuma did what we didn't, rescued IA and found another one of _you._ We don't have a lot of time before Demon's Crow catches up with us too, so get in the man's car and stop looking at me like I'm crazy." Gumi walks over to the car Len took with Lapis and they open the back door. Oliver stares at them, surprised.

"What's-"

"Oh my God!" Lapis shrieks, looking at Rin. "She's still alive…"

"We can't move her like this." Oliver says.

"He's right." Gumi says, motioning over Len.

He glances at his twin and grimaces. "Alright… you guys go with Gumi, I can take care of Rin. Len draws his gun from his back pocket and Oliver and Lapis shout out with surprise.

"The hell are you doing?!" Oliver hisses.

"What I have to do. Sorry, Rin." Len crawls in the car and places the barrel of the gun on Rin's right temple. Oliver hurriedly tries to rush out from under her but Len pulls the trigger too soon. The back of Rin's head explodes onto Oliver's lap in a spray of blood as she dies and Oliver sits there, stunned and petrified with splatters of her blood on his face.

He can't help but feel something he know he shouldn't. But Oliver realizes it anyways.

He's afraid. He's afraid of them.

And he's afraid of her.

* * *

**Character Pole:**

**Len- 9**

**Gumi- 9**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**Gumo- 3  
**

**IO- 3**

**Oliver- 3**

**IA- 2**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Yuuma- 2**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	12. Unspeakable

**Yay, next chapter! I made this one pretty long to make up for the past two shorter ones, so enjoy! This is a Gumi chapter two, so those of you who like her will enjoy this update, I assure you. ^^  
**

**I have another one of my weird little questions at the bottom of today's chapter too, so be aware of that as well. Thanks for all the response last time, I think it helped a lot. **

**Thanks to reviewers:**

**`XxKingArthurIIIxX**

**`Silencing Snow**

**`MT's Souless6**

**`Shino No Mikaga No Kudotata**

**`Black White and Supersticious **

**`RandomNumbers523156**

**`zhane 17**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_

* * *

_X~49~X_

Walking slowly, Gumi moves towards the side of Yuuma's van and throws down the thick, matt-like blanket on the cold grass. She turns around to look over her shoulder as the sun begins to set and a high pitched wailing erupts from behind her.

IA jumps on top of IO's back, startling him and throwing him to the ground. He cries out in shock and IA sits on his back, tapping him on the back of his head and laughing hysterically. Yuuma and Len move at the same time, but Yuuma is closer to them and he lifts IA off of IO, swinging her around a little and setting her down beside him, she frowns as IO scrambles to his feet and rushes to stand next to her. He pulls on her far too long sleeve and she grins, rushing back off in a circle toward a car, chasing IO around.

Len frowns, crossing his arms in front of his chest and glaring at Yuuma for a moment before turning around and walking back over to where Lapis is trying to start their camp fire. She is fussing with the lighter angrily, flicking the silver thing over and over again, but she seems to be enjoying it.

Miku hovers over her shoulder and as Lapis stands up straight, righting herself, Miku jumps a little. On the other side of the car where Gumi is Oliver and Rin are. Gumi can hear them incoherently muttering to each other from where she stands. Then their talking stops and it's quiet until IA and IO come rushing over together.

IO throws himself down onto the thick blanket and IA jumps, landing on top of him. Gumi jumps a little and smirks for a second before flopping down her back pack and Gumo. She places both hands on the hood of the car and climbs up to the top, sitting on the roof of the car and lying flat out on her back, gazing up at the crimson-illuminated sky.

The sun has begun to set a while ago but it still hasn't died yet, lingering on the edge of the horizon and leaving the brilliant claw marks of its struggle with the moon, painted across the darkening sky.

Gumi closes her eyes, inhaling one long shuddering breath and holding it before releasing and re-opening her eyes. She hears Lapis cry with joy and the rush of flames. She can hear Miku jump and Len laugh. She can hear Rin and Oliver mummer softly and IA and IO shriek and wrestle with each other. She can hear her own heartbeat, and for the first time in a while, her own thoughts. And it terrifies her.

"What Len did-"

"Jesus Christ, Oliver. I told you to let it go, we've done it before." Rin groans, leaning against the trunk of a tree just a few yards away from their camp. Oliver sighs, making sure no one is watching, and scoots a little closer, wrapping his arm around her lower back. Rin flinches, but doesn't pull away.

"He killed you Rin." Oliver gulps, freezing for a minute. "_On _me." Rin glances down at Oliver's shirt and pants, covered in the stains from her blood and darker marks where part of her brain must have been. Little strands of hair from her busted skull remain sticking to his clothes in the stain and she sighs this time, inhaling deeply.

"Look, that's just Len. He's…" Rin does the head-check this time. "…he's really frustrated and pissed right now."

"Why? I thought him and IA-"

"It's because it wasn't _him _that rescued her. It's because he _didn't _know where she was or what was happening to her and because _he _wasn't the one to save and take care of her. But hey- at least he doesn't hate you as much as that Yuuma guy right now." Rin smirks, brushing some hair out of her face with the palm of her hand. "Today kinda sucked in a good way."

"How does it suck in a good way?" Oliver leans forward, looking her in the face with his one good eye.

"Well, if you think about it… the whole group is back together in a way, but everyone's pissed off at someone or doesn't trust someone. We're pretty damn vulnerable, if you ask me. And we have no coffee. That also sucks."

The sound of footsteps approaching jars the two out of their melancholy trance and Oliver pulls away, scooting to sit further. Rin sighs, standing as Miku approaches, face mostly hidden by her scarf.

"Len said- um… Yuuma has some food. We're gonna' eat now." Oliver goes first, walking past the two girls back into the grove of trees where the van has been skillfully hidden and parked like a wall on the only opening of the circular camp. Miku grabs Rin by the arm as she begins to walk back into the clearing and Rin turns around, ready to give Miku her best glare.

Upon seeing Miku's crimson red face mostly hidden under her scarf, Rin relaxes, stepping closer to the girl and sighing.

"What's up?"

"Rin… um… do you remember the day when-when Miki and-"

"Yes, I remember Miku." Rin cuts her off, cringing as the teal haired girl speaks.

"Well…" Miku shifts uncomfortably, her eyes threatening to swim with tears. "…when… M-Meiko had me and you…" she gulps. "…showed up… you remember what I was… doing, right?" Rin's eyes widen with horror at the painful memory of how Miku's body had begun to seize and contort, the way her eyes had been entirely swallowed by the red glare- Rin shakes her head to clear her mind and nods gently, stepping a little closer to Miku. Just as Rin's about to say something, Miku continues, her voice rushed and full of panic. "Oh God Rin, today when me and Lapis were at the cabin and Luka was there-" Miku shudders and looks as if she's about to throw up. Her scarf falls away from her face with the small movement of her shoulders to reveal her pale and cracked mouth, pressed into a thin line. "-it felt like it did then! I thought that… that whatever it was might happen again! I'm so afraid, Rin!" Miku gasps at the end.

Rin puts a hand on the side of Miku's arm. "You're fine, Miku, whatever it was, it won't happen again." Before Miku can argue or say anything more, Rin pulls her in front of her and continues talking. "Let's just go eat."

Rin leads Miku into the camp and sets her down in between Lapis and Len. There she seems to settle comfortably, sitting a little closer to Len than Lapis. Rin sits on the other side of Len and Oliver next to her. The "new kid" Yuuma moves over to the blanket under the van from his previous position on top of a fallen log where he had been rummaging through his supplies. There he taps IA twice on the shoulder and she stands, crawling off of IO, who she was ecstatically wrestling on the matt.

She pulled and pinched at him, giggling hysterically, but IO didn't really seem to mind, but he seems relived that Yuuma has come to get them. As IO rights himself, IA lurches forward, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers and grinning madly at him. IO gives her a tiny smile and she tugs his arm down, nearly throwing him to the ground. She tugs him forward madly, pulling him over to the small fire pit and flopping herself down in front of Len.

IO sits beside her, and takes a quick glance at her. Frowning, having realized the slight distance in between where they are sitting, he moves himself closer to her and takes one of her hands gently. He begins to absent mindedly play with her fingers.

Len frowns watching this but dismisses it as Yuuma brings open the backpack. He sits down next to IA and opens the leather bag taken from the store where he also got the pair clothes. He rummages through it and dumps out a slew of food onto the ground and begins to sort through it.

"It's not too much…" He says, trailing off. Yuuma takes out one of the travel sized boxes of sugary cereal out of the bag and IA's eyes light up. She reaches both of her arms out and Yuuma, giving her a gentle grin, places the colorful box in her hands. Len scowls but Yuuma doesn't seem to notice. "Does anyone want the last of the beef jerky?" He asks, pulling out a green and white bag.

"Give it here." Rin demands, extending her hand.

"R-right." Yuuma says, tossing the bag to her over the small fire after meeting her eyes. The first time he had seen her, the back of her skull had exploded outwards and she was dead, so he finds himself slightly uncomfortable around her right now. Rin tears open the bag and begins eating while Yuuma picks up the next thing out of the pile. "Dried fruit?"

Miku sheepishly raises her hand at the same time as Lapis. Lapis sees Miku and quickly puts her hand down. Yuuma tosses the bag to Len, who hands it to Miku. Miku opens the bag and holds it out to Lapis. "We can share." Miku says, smiling. Lapis takes a small handful of the fruit.

"Alright, uh…" Yuuma moves aside a pack of gum and holds up a bag of jelly beans. Yuuma glances around and sets it aside for himself. "Granola bars? I have four…"

"I'll take one and… so will Lapis and Oliver, set aside the other for tomorrow. We'll stop somewhere tomorrow and get more supplies." Len takes the food from Yuuma and disperses it, opening his own with his teeth. As Yuuma opens the bag of jelly beans and rolls an orange and yellow speckled one between his fingers, Rin's voice stops him.

"Where's Gumi?" She asks.

Everyone goes deadly silent. A loud thud and the sound of crunching leaves follows Gumi's voice as she snaps out of her trance and walks over to the group. "Sheesh, you'd think I died." She smirks, flopping down on the other side of Yuuma. She crosses her legs and lies Gumo across her knees.

"Do you-", Yuuma is about to ask before Gumi interrupts, waving him off.

"I'm fine. Not really hungry." She waves him off, cracking her neck and yawning loudly.

IA tears open the box of cereal and takes out a handful of the colorful shapes. She raises her handful to her mouth and pops some of them in her mouth. She turns to IO. "Hold out your hand, okay?" IO nods, tentatively holding out his dirty palm. She places the shapes into his hand and he looks at it dumbly. Everyone in the group is watching them now. "You can eat it." She smiles at him and IO hurriedly shoves the food into his mouth, as if it was the last time he'd ever eat.

"So tell us…" Gumi waves her hand in a circle in front of her, as if flagging down a taxi. "…where'd you get your hands on them?"

Yuuma sighs and IA looks up at him, IO as well. "I uh… it's kinda a long story…" Yuuma rubs the back of his head with his hand and smiles nervously.

"I don't have anywhere to be." Gumi shrugs, picking a piece of grass out of the ground and bending it in between her fingers.

Yuuma sighs again and he catches Len's eye. The blonde sends him a glare, which Yuuma ignores. "Well… I guess it kinda' started when I was a kid. I was born on the surface and when I was two my parents converted and moved to the Heaven's Mouth."

"Heaven's Mouth?!" Lapis shouts, leaning forward suddenly, eyes widening with shock. "You're kidding, right? You've lived in Heaven's Mouth since you were two?!"

"Uh, I seem to be missing something here?" Rin waves her hands above her head wildly. "Heaven's Mouth?"

"It's the underground city spreading for _miles, _right under the heart of Demon's Crow. It's where all of the followers live. It's said to be as close to heaven as something Earthly can possibly be, hence the name. My mom used to tell me stories about it, when I was a kid. I've always dreamed of Heaven's Mouth." Lapis smiles to herself and tentatively touches the gem of her necklace, smiling warmly for a moment.

"Yeah. When you're a kid they tell you all of the worst stories you could ever imagine about the demons, sometimes referred to as 'Akuma'. They taught us you were cannibals, creatures of war, born out of blood, soulless, merciless, the physical embodiment of evil that would stop at nothing to bring the Lord's world down to the depths of hell themselves." Yuuma looks at IA and smiles sadly. He watches her rip grass out of the ground and sprinkle it over IO's head like confetti as he squirms.

"It's itchy!" He whines, swatting it out of his fine hair. IA giggles, running her fingers through his hair and shaking out the grass.

"I'd always had this… _unhealthy _obsession with the stories and once I got older it's all I cared about. My parents were always horrified because they thought that the Watchers would come and take me away. That's what they do to the people that are too… interested. They take them to the upper levels and they're never seen again. So I toned it down and kept my hobby a personal thing. In your third year of high school your entire grade gets taken on a trip to the upper floors. I snuck away on the first day and…" His eyes drift to IA and IO, now watching him intently with their red eyes. "The next- and last- day of the trip I did what I thought was right."

"Len…" Miku looks up at the blonde. Len looks at her and she whispers softly, "I'm tired."

"Alright. I think Gumi collapsed the backseat in the car, so you can sleep back there for now. We'll be right here, so yell if you need anything, okay? You'll be fine. We're right here." Len gives her a reassuring, yet brief smile and Miku slowly stands, moving over to the silver mini-van.

"Deep." Gumi tosses her blade of grass into the small fire pit, about the size of a fist, and watches the bright green blade burn in front of her eyes.

"I used IA's memory of where you were staying when she was with you to back track to where you got separated. From there it was a matter of common sense and a little bit of guessing. We were pulling into a gas station down the road when IO heard the explosion. I figured it was as good a lead as any, and I just ended up trailing the first car that came out of there."

IO looks at IA at the mention of his name. He leans in, cupping his hand over his mouth and whispering to her, "I helped?"

IA pulls away, grinning widely. She grabs him around the shoulders and gives him a tight hug. She pulls away and nods, IO gives her a half-cocked grin and scoots a little closer to her, closing the last bit of distance between them. Their arms are touching and IO puts his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes and hanging on her like she's a giant stuffed animal.

IA seems unfazed and sprinkles more grass on IO's back silently.

"We should all get some sleep." Len says, standing. "I'll take watch-"

"I got it covered, Len." Gumi stands.

"Are you sure?" Len looks slightly confused at Gumi's blatant audacity to do nothing but sit awake all night.

"Don't worry about it, you need the rest anyways."

"I'll help too." Yuuma says, also standing. Gumi chuckles and shakes her head, no.

"You've done enough for us today, let us pay this back. Just get some sleep. You must be pretty much exhausted from taking care of both of them alone. I'd be." Gumi begins to kick dirt into the fire pit and Lapis frowns as her work is destroyed. She walks with Rin and Oliver back to the car and Len moves over to IA and IO.

"Actually, I slept fine last night." Yuuma smirks. "You look pretty tired yourself."

Gumi then gives him a look of something in between utter shock and slight rage, as if he'd somehow exposed a deep secret of hers. The expression disappears just as sudden as it had come and Gumi leans onto Gumo, sighing. "Fine, we'll do it together." Gumi gives him a maddening smirk before Yuuma finally caves and nods in agreement.

Len ushers IA and IO to their feet and before he leads them towards the car, IA stops and tugs on Yuuma's jacket, eyes pleading something silent. IO clings around her, looking as if he's so tired he'll collapse any moment. Yuuma bends down to her level and tilts his head to a smile. "It's okay. I'll be out here." IA bites her lip and nods. She had grown over the brief amount of time she has spent with Yuuma, to fully trust him if not as much, maybe even more than she had first trusted Len when they met. At this point, her foundations with Len having been tested and proven weaker than she expected, it seems almost blasphemous to do something without the pink haired boy's approval. "Night, IA." Yuuma smiles at IO and pats his head. IO opens one eye and sticks out his tongue, standing up straight and grabbing IA roughly by the hand.

She doesn't seem to mind and Len gives Gumi and Yuuma a slight nod before moving off with the kids.

Gumi turns to Yuuma after she's satisfied with her job at putting out the blaze. "Well…" She's answered by the noise of the wind.

Yuuma turns to her, his backpack slung over his shoulder. The two climb up to the top of the car as Gumi had done earlier. There they can see for a few yards in all directions around their camp. Everyone has moved inside the car and are too tired to care that Gumi and Yuuma's voices are coming to the car like small whispers of the wind.

"So, how'd you end up here?" Yuuma asks, brushing hair out of his face.

Gumi chuckles again, but this laugh is emotionless and stale. "Out paths just happened to cross…"

Yuuma taps his thumb on the roof of the car gently. "What about your family? Friends?"

Gumi stays silent for a moment before speaking again. "I'm an orphan, and I'm not really the most friendly and inviting person on the planet. My best friend is a crowbar, Yuuma. I'm not really a person everyone wants to 'hang out' with."

This time Yuuma is silent before responding. "Do you mind if I ask what happened to them, your parents, I mean." His voice drops off at the end and he notices a small shift in Gumi out of his peripheral vision. Her shoulders roll and her back goes rigid, almost like a startled cat. Her eyes seem to narrow and sink with an expression Yuuma's never seen before and then her body snaps back into place, as if it had never happened at all.

"Death takes us all eventually."

"Yeah. I just hope I get to live long enough to make something out of myself, you know?"

There's an empty pause.

"Not really." Gumi responds, brushing a strand of green hair out of her face and following a bird that circles the moon high above her head.

"My parents were afraid of me. I don't think they'd ever say it, but they are, or, I mean, were." Yuuma feels something well up inside of him and he blinks his eyes closed for a very long moment. "I have a sister, too. I probably really hurt her, when I left. I probably really hurt her…" He trails off, as if realizing something he hadn't really considered before. He stews with it silently.

"Why'd you want to know? About my family…" Gumi asks, curious now. Her voice has taken a different tone, almost a softer echo now.

"I guess I just wanted to know a little more about your past. The past is what writes people… and plus, you seem like you have a pretty interesting story." He gives her a snide smile.

Gumi smirks, returning her gaze to the bird overhead, now settled in a tree. "It's a story like you wouldn't ever imagine."

"How about we guess? I'll pick the most outrageous thing I can think of, and you tell me if you've done it." Yuuma chuckles at his own idea.

"Alright, let's do it, let's play your little lame ol' game." Gumi taunts.

Yuuma pauses, thinking. "Have you ever… done drugs?" Gumi laughs nearly hysterically.

"A little _too _out there. But not far off…" Yuuma laughs. There's a brief silence that seems to stretch out for a long time. "I dealt some before." Yuuma's jaw drops.

"Wait, what?"

"I needed the cash." The silence that follows is mournful. "Go again."

"Have you ever… driven a boat?"

"Where'd you come up with that? Nope." Gumi lies her crowbar across her lap and flips her goggles down over her eyes. She uses the corner of her shirt to begin to rub the day's stains off of the orange tool.

"What about been to jail?"

He can hear Gumi's breath hitch. Her gloved hands stop moving up and down the crowbar and everything around her seems to hang suspended in that moment. Her goggles hide the expression in her eyes. It would have stopped anyone, no matter what type of person, in their tracks. It's a look that could drive someone to madness. The breathless moment is agony.

Yuuma gets the idea that it was probably a horrible thing to mention, considering her reaction and he lets the subject drop. He hops down off the car and picks up a handful of small rocks, climbing back up. Yuuma begins to steadily toss them down and he watches them roll off of the dirt and disappear into the shadows of the darkness.

"Yes."

As Gumi's eyes travel upwards she notices the lone bird she had been following is gone. She stares at the moon for what seems to be an eternity.

* * *

**One of Tiruneko's Weird Little Questions: Hi! So, based off of the information I've given so far, what do _you_ think Gumi's basic back story is? I want to be sure I'm steering you guys in the right direction so that when I end up revealing it you haven't been severely disappointed. Thanks again!**

**Character Pole:**

**Len- 9**

**Gumi- 9**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**IO- 4 **

**Gumo- 4  
**

**Oliver- 3**

**IA- 2**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Yuuma- 2**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	13. Flying Blind

**Oh wow. 50 chapters. I never even imagined when I first started this story that it would go _this _far! I couldn't have done any of this without all of you, the readers. So, THANK YOU SO MUCH! X3! **

**I went sorta crazy with the moe writing in this chapter and I have officially decided that Gumi's back story is next chapter! Kya~! X3  
**

**Without further ado, **

**ENJOY CHAPTER NUMBER 50, MINNA~!**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~50~X_

IA rolls over, her cheek touching IO's shoulder again. She closes her eyes, inhaling his scent before resuming trying to sleep. The van is crowded, even with two people on watch duty. IA can't really sleep, then again, she doesn't really want to. She's afraid of those moments in which she closes her eyes, because it all seems to slip away when she isn't looking.

Just then IO begins to mumble softly in his sleep, his mouth peeling into a frown. His right arm twitches and IA sits up, watching him, her lips pressed into a thin concerned scowl. There is a brief pause in the boy's fit and then he resumes, his arms and legs thrashing madly, his eyes fluttering under his lids, his noises sounding like whimpers and muffled cries.

IA whimpers. She bends down over IO's body, lying directly on top of him. She pulls her thin arms around his neck and presses her face into his shoulder and pulls him into her. IO jolts awake, panicking.

He notices a large pressure on top of him and IO slowly opens his eyes. IA shifts, pressing her mouth near his ear and whispering, "The darkness can't come for you if I'm your shield." Her soft voice strikes a chord, and the tears IO had been begging himself not to shed begin to pour like a waterfall.

The dreams are too real, too furious, too _true _to ignore. IO quickly raises his arms, wrapping around IA's upper back and hugging her closer to his chest as he begins to silently sob into IA's hair. She doesn't mind and he can't stop himself, so the two lie there for a long time before IO's choking cries turn into small and quiet whimpers to sniffles to nothing at all.

IA eases herself off of him and looks down at his face. Her nose hovers not even an inch from his and his eyes are open. He's still awake. Her crimson red eyes are the only light in the darkness of the van's trunk. IA rolls off of him to his left side and presses herself into his side, wrapping her arm around his chest and gripping him by his shoulder. IA wrests her cheek on his shoulder and the sudden desire to sleep is overwhelming. But she ignores it, not eager to slip out of this moment.

IO rolls onto his side a little while later, and the two lie facing each other, IA's arms wrapped around him like he's a pillow. Under the protective gaze of his puffy red eyes IA can't help but slip out of consciousness and into dreamless sleep. He continues to watch her long after her eyes have closed and her breathing has slowed.

IO lies like this until the sun rises and as he hears Rin wake up, he pretends to be asleep next to IA. Realizing he doesn't look relaxed enough to be asleep, he takes this as an excuse to pull closer to IA, further into her limp, sleeping arms. Rin buys it, but then again, it's really not like she's looking anyways.

The van starts moving a little while later, slowly at first, then gradually faster. IO waits until the last possible second to move.

IA lifts her head, a small trail of drool clinging to the left corner of her mouth. The faint early morning sunlight streaming through the windows illuminates her eyes and her body ruffles the thick and comfortable matt bellow them. Her eyes flutter open to be met with a set of gleaming and emotionless red ones.

"Hi." IO says very softly.

IA curls slightly, closing her eyes again and relaxing around IO's body. Miku watches from the other corner of the van, blushing softly. Len scoots over to sit beside her and he watches IA and IO, slightly concerned and faintly paranoid. Miku notices and shifts heavily, eyeing Len almost with an air of frustration. Miku shrinks into her scarf and speaks, her voice soft and muffled. "She's fine. He really likes her." Len tenses visibly, clearly unaware that Miku could see through him that easily.

Len relaxes into the side of the van a moment later and replies nearly as quietly as Miku, but no one can be _as _quiet as Miku. "I know."

"You're tired, Len. You didn't sleep last night, you should sleep more." Again, Len seems shocked. Miku blushes profusely under his gaze. "U-Uh… y-your eyes a-are very tired. I-I-I wasn't watching you… I slept last night…" Miku yanks her scarf over her head and buries her face in her knees.

"Are you okay?" Len asks, playfully concerned.

"T-that came out w-wrong." Miku mutters. Len claps her on the back and Miku jumps, raising her head instantly. "S-sorry, I meant to comfort you… but… you c-comforted me."

"I don't need comforting, Miku. I'm good. You feeling okay? You normally don't talk this much and you're stuttering more than usual." Stuttering has become normal for Miku. Even if she had specifically practiced in her head exactly, word for word what she was going to say, it is always a completely random shot in the dark whether she would talk smoothly or not. Still the fear of talking to people, even some she's extremely comfortable with, is very controlling and overbearing on her.

Miku nods, lying. Len frowns softly. Miku shifts. "I dreamed about… my p-parents last night." Len goes rigid and his breath catches.

"Oh." Miku has never spoken about her parents to anyone and frankly Len had forgotten until now, and by her expression, it's not a good thing. He had also thought that no one else in the van could hear them, but at the end of Miku's sentence, Gumi tenses across the van.

"I-It's o-o-o-okay r-r-really." Miku has a hard time at the end, but gives Len a weak smile.

Directly in front of them IA finally sits up, yawning and pulling her arms out over her head, stretching. IO frowns to himself but sits up as well, squirming out from under her grip, embarrassed. Everyone in the backseat is watching them, Lapis, Gumi, Miku, Oliver, and Len.

IA looks around, lighting up upon seeing Len, and darkening upon not seeing Yuuma. "Where's Yuuma?" Her eyes widen, slightly fearful.

"I'm up here." Yuuma says from the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" Lapis asks, yawning heavily.

"Wherever we end _up._" Len mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The car lurches violently to a stop. Everyone hangs in the silence, biting their tongues, frozen in the moment. Gumi slowly reaches her hand and closes it around the handle of Gumo. With her other hand, as if a silent acknowledgement of something no one else can see, she flips her goggles over her eyes.

"Yuuma…" Rin, sitting in the passenger's seat, turns very slowly to him. The pink haired boy slams his foot against the gas pedal and the car doesn't even stall. It has simply stopped. Yuuma's face turns deathly pale. The hanging silence is cut through as Gumi stands, making the van rock. Her expression is unreadable.

"Stay in the van." She mutters, demanding harshly even through the quiet tone. Miku cringes at this new voice and shrinks into the back of the van.

Gumi places her hand on the car door and slowly eases it open. She slips out, closing it almost instantly behind her. Rin picks up her gun and checks the bullets. Yuuma glances over her shoulder and pulls out a handful of bullets from the console of the car. Rin doesn't ask but simply loads the pistol, bringing it to a tight grip in her hands.

More silence. IA begins to shudder and instinctually grabs IO around the shoulders, burying her face into his shoulder. IO cracks a tiny smile that fades almost instantly. Len glares, reaching for Yuuma's backpack and drawing out Lapis' knife. Lapis pulls the gun she found on Meiko out from her jacket pocket and waits, body blocking IO and IA.

A loud grunt and a thump on the side of the van echoes out and Miku jumps, yelping. She grabs Len and attempts to hide behind him. Another loud thud hits the side of the van and reverberates, followed by a gunshot.

"Screw this-", Rin kicks open the passenger's side door and emerges, shooting rapidly.

"Rin!" Oliver shouts, irritated, moving out of the back of the van. Len follows with Lapis behind him.

"Stay here." He warns. Miku nods, gulping and IA whines softly as Yuuma also leaves.

A pair of strong hands wrap around Gumi's throat and force her roughly into the ground. She braces her knees against the man's chest, pushing harshly and rolling him. Once on top she brings her elbow down with immense force into his nose, splattering her with a coat of thick blood. Len's voice draws at her, but Gumi remains, a force that is no longer human having taken control now. The black haired boy underneath her brings his forehead crashing into Gumi's, sending a loud and reverberating thrum throughout her brain. If anything it seems to allow Gumi to hit even _harder. _

Someone grabs Gumi by the hair and yanks her backwards, slamming her skull into their boot. A teenage girl with long and puffy swirls of blonde hair frowns above her, raising what seems to be a large silver mace above her head, about to swing it down. Gumi's pupils shrink slightly, and she rolls out from under the heavy weapon as soon as it swings down. A gun shot ricochets and Gumi flies for Gumo, head throbbing. She definitely has a concussion. Blood begins to drip out of her nose, splattering onto her shit.

Len's voice says something and Gumi shakes her head to clear it as the blonde haired mace wielding girl turns to face her, her expression emotionless.

She's a very tall girl, maybe about Miku's age, with long puffy blonde hair and a brown head band. She is wearing a white uniform with a pleated skirt that has orange stitching and knee length white leggings underneath. The top looks like a school uniform with an orange bow tied at the neck. Her face is concealed with a white mask with a bird's beak where the nose should be. The mask cuts off after there, allowing her mouth and pale cheeks to show. Her mace dangles at her side. The boy Gumi was attacking slowly stands up as well. He has choppy dark black hair with one red face framing strand on the left side of his face. His uniform is identical to the girl's, only without the skirt and just the under-shorts. A brown leather collar is around his neck, of all things.

Gumi's vision is gradually becoming blurred. Oh right, the concussion thing. Gumi curses under her breath, tensing and raising her crowbar. Rin bumps into Gumi's back, nearly causing the green haired girl to send her flying. Len backs into Rin, Yuuma into Lapis, Lapis into Oliver and Oliver into Gumi until they all stand in a line, their backs to the van, facing five figures.

As the dust clears everyone turns to look at Yuuma. His face has drained of all color, his eyes widened with horror, his shoulders dropping and his eyes nearly shaking in their sockets.

"Yuuma?" Gumi asks, panting and out of breath. "Get yourself together…"

The figure in the center of the line steps forward. They're about Lapis' height, with fair features and faint freckles under their eyes. Their hair is pulled into two hot pink drills and their white and pink combat uniform gleams under the morning sunlight. Clutched in her hand is a shining silver rapier with one pink gem at the end of the handle. Engraved on the blade of the weapon is the image of a bright yellow cross with a crow perched on top.

"Hello, Yuuma." Teto says emotionlessly, taking a step forward.

Len shoots Yuuma a glare that sends fire running through the pink haired boy's veins. "You lead them here, didn't you!?" Len nearly screams.

Yuuma ignores him, taking a step forward as well, his progression only stopped by Gumi's hand. "T-Teto? What-what're you…"

"I'm fixing your mistakes…" Teto gulps, losing all of the control she thought she had. She had planned every moment of this conversation out since she found out about her brother's betrayal of Demon's Crow, but now, all she wants to do is cry and scream and hurt him for what he's done. "…how…" Her voice wavers, cracking. "…how _could _you?"

"Teto-"

The sound of steady clapping sounds from the woman on the very far left of the enemies' line. Meiko steps forward, grinning ear to ear.

"Oh, oh _wow!" _She cheers, sneering. "Too many emotions, guys!" Meiko laughs snidely, still clapping. "Teto, get back over here. You're here for a job, not a family reunion." Teto grimaces at Meiko's voice but still she turns and gets back in the center of the line as Meiko steps forward. "Well, Demon Children, we meet again! And so soon too…" Meiko shoots a glare at Gumi who smiles widely, snickering. "…well, I love bragging, so let's begin, shall we? Meet the army of Demon's Crow! In progress, of course." Meiko laughs hysterically before continuing. "Well, basically… hmm… how to put this lightly… they're here to kill you and take the ones that _don't _die back to their nice little cells! Aw, where are the little ones? I had so much fun hacking their limbs off just to see what would happen…"

Yuuma tenses immediately, his eyes narrowing to a vibrant flaming intensity. Len does the same, nearly ready to explode. The blonde boy steps forward to face Meiko, looking up into her amber eyes.

"We may not be human but we're more human than you'll ever be."

"Oh? Didn't like what I said about the little ones? The way the girl _screamed _when the saw hit her neck… the way the boy _sobbed _when her blood began to paint him, the way the girl's body twitched in death as her head rolled onto the floor… did you not want to hear about that?" Meiko's mouth splits into a wide snake-like grin as Len shudders with rage. Yuuma's grip tightens around his gun as he listens, ready to shoot Meiko when he gets the chance. Meiko's eyes fall onto Lapis. "Oh! The Shion girl's here! What else should I have expected…", Meiko's face goes dark for a moment, as if the memory of Kaito hurts her. "Ah! Introductions, can't forget those, now can we?"

Meiko moves to stand in front of the tall, blonde haired girl. "SeeU..." Meiko moves on to the black haired boy. "Rook…" Yuuma jumps.

"R-Rook?" He stutters, staggering backwards slightly.

Meiko continues. "Teto… and lastly, Ted." A slightly taller boy with long red hair pulled into one very long and thin pony tail pushes his glasses up the bridge of the beak on his mask. In his hand is a small machete. "Well then… let's get started, shall we?"

SeeU lunges forward, swinging the heavy mace around her head in a circle, smashing it into Rin's side and sending her sprawling. SeeU is slow, but very strong. Gumi makes a mental note. The green haired girl is slowly becoming dizzy, she can't last much longer and she knows it.

Gumi skids over to where Len is fighting of Rook, and Gumi bashes the black haired boy over the head with Gumo, watching him crumple to the ground. "Len, cover me." Len nods and Gumi ducks behind him to catch her breath for a moment. Gumi turns around, pulling up the right leg of her pants and revealing a small white dart-pouch attached to her thigh. She unbuttons it and pulls out a slim black capsule the size of a battery with wires coming out of each end, winding around and connecting to another thin silver battery sized box. Gumi takes a green wire and connects it to a red one. She pulls her pant leg back down and hides the device in her hand.

Gumi waits for a perfect opening. She looks over Len's shoulder as he moves against the attacks of the girl named Teto towards the other side of the road where Meiko is standing. Behind Meiko is a grove of trees and just beyond that is what seems to be an unusual black object, most likely their car. But they wouldn't have brought only one, no, there would be a van to transport their captives back… Gumi spots the white car and shouts over the gun shots a command to Len. The blonde nods and the two go to work.

Yuuma pulls IA out of the van, slinging her around his shoulder and holding IO in his arms. Miku trails behind him, nervously. He ushers them out of the back of the van to the side opposite of the one facing the assorted battles.

"What're you-" Miku tries to ask while Yuuma cups a hand over her mouth.

"We wait for Gumi."

Not long after, Rin comes skidding behind the van, nearly falling on Yuuma. As Lapis barrels behind their only shield, Rin launches herself back out into the road. Oliver comes next, panting heavily and covered in blood, some his own. Lastly, a few minutes later, after many assorted thuds and gun fires, Gumi comes rushing back behind the van, panting heavily. She looks disheveled and exhausted, with heavy bags under her eyes and many bruises and cuts around her skin.

She bends down behind the van, attaching a black and grey capsule to the side. Yuuma's eyes widen in horror instantly, and he shoots upwards, grabbing Gumi by the wrist. Gumi instantly reacts, nearly about to take Yuuma's head off with her crowbar at the sudden touch.

"Is that what I think it is?" Yuuma scowls darkly.

"If you think it's a bomb, then yes, yes it is." Gumi instantly pulls everyone backwards, away from the van and screams at the top of her lungs, "INCOMMING!" She hurls a green bar dart with almost inhuman precision and as the tip of the trajectory touches the silver box on the capsule, the van erupts in yellow flames.

With the force of the blast the car shoots forward, rolling out into the street and sending flaming debris hurling in thick clouds of black smoke. A grin spreads across Lapis face as Gumi whoops loudly. Gumi ushers the group to move under the cover of the smoldering van. It's created a path straight through the road and into the grove of trees where Meiko's cars are parked.

SeeU, Rook, and Ted have all been knocked out flat by the explosion and Meiko was hit by a chunk of metal and she is unconscious on the ground. The only one still fighting is Teto, who is currently kicking Rin in the jaw. Rin comes back around, head butting Teto so hard she spins, falling backwards onto the asphalt. Rin pins her under her boot and utters a low pitched growl as the group comes running past her towards the other cars.

Just as Gumi steps over Meiko's unconscious form, Rook lunges at her from behind, hands clawing desperately for Gumi. He manages to pull her down and his hand grabs her shoulders from behind, one of his fingers slipping and raking down her back. Gumi's head snaps back and her pupils shrink to tiny pinpricks in her irises. She begins to scream. As if controlled by some instinctual and alien force, the green haired girl brings her hand down with such force that Rook's nose is instantly shattered and he recoils back in pain. From the force of the impact Gumi's knuckles burst, bleeding profusely.

She stands frozen for a moment and then continues running, even faster than before.

Gumi passes the first car with Yuuma at her heel. Rin ducks down and using Lapis' knife expertly slashes every one of the first car's tires. A watcher jumps out of the second car only to be drop-kicked into the ground by Len, who crawls into the driver's seat. Rin flings herself into the passenger's side and Gumi throws open the back doors to the van, sending crates intended to hold the Demon Children spilling out onto the grass. With them all gone the back of the car is actually quiteis panicked beyond belief. Oliver throws himself in next with Lapis not too far behind. Yuuma jumps in and Gumi runs around to the front of the van just as Len is about to step on the gas.

Gumi pries open the hood with her crowbar and jams it inside the engine under the hood. Rin screams. "Gumi! Get the hell away from the car!"

Gumi emerges from under the hood triumphantly, holding a white tracking device with the insignia of a crow perched on a cross in her hand. She throws the capsule down and flings herself with a final burst of energy into the trunk just seconds before Len speeds away.

The group sits silently in their new van. Gumi leans against the back of the van, panting heavily. This car is the type where the trunk has no relation to the front "cockpit" of the car, so that anything in the back is entirely separate.

Gumi cannot control her breathing at all, and her hand is bleeding slower now but still hurts incredibly. Her shaking hands reach for her goggles and she tugs them off of her eyes only seconds before she blacks out.

As Lapis and Yuuma and Oliver move to tend to Gumi, IA shudders violently, feeling a new wave of tears coming. IO's eyes widen with fear and he holds his hands up and out in front of him to IA. He shakes his head rapidly and says with his full volume, "Please don't cry anymore."

IA instantly melts, collapsing into his body and nearly knocking him over. IA's hands grip IO by the shirt tightly as she sobs into his chest and, without knowing what else to do, he slowly raises his own hands to touch her back, tentatively at first. Then, after a moment, he tugs IA with great force into him, and he touches his forehead to the top of her head and closes his red eyes for a long moment.

* * *

**Thanks to reviewers: zhane17, MT's Souless6, Black White and Superstitious, Manga-Cats-Anime, iDontCare, Guest, and Awesome D.T  
**

**Something I Forgot To Address: Basically I've gotten a few reviews and PMs along the lines of, "Where the effin' hell is Miki?". Don't worry, I have NOT forgotten about her. In fact Miki will be playing a VERY important role in the future, so look forward to that! I'm also not adding one of my random little questions at the end of this chapter, but if you want to make one up and give your "theory" or whatever in your review, go ahead! Thanks to the responses for my last question too and don't worry, you'll find out the real answer soon enough... heheheheh.  
**

**Character Pole:**

**Len- 9**

**Gumi- 9**

**Miku- 8  
**

**Rin- 8**

**IO- 4 **

**Yuuma-3**

**Oliver- 3**

**IA- 2**

**Lapis- 2  
**

**Luka- 1**

**Haku-1**

**Until next time!**

_**~Tiruneko**_


	14. The Girl The World Forgot

_X~51~X_

"Is she gonna' be okay?" IA asks, leaning forward on all fours, her face twisting up as she hovers over Gumi. Yuuma walks over to the bed, placing his hand on IA's head.

"Yeah, she just needs to rest." IA smiles as IO comes running in from the adjoining hotel room and jumps on her back. IA face plants into the bed and rolls over, giggling. Len walks in behind IO, holding a soft and fluffy white hotel robe in his arms, folded neatly. Miku trails close behind him, smiling softly.

"Yuuma." Len nods to him. "Miku wants to clean Gumi up with Lapis, can you help me move her?" Yuuma nods, standing from the edge of the bed and slipping Gumi's head under his hands. Len grabs Gumi around the ankles and the two carry her gently into the bathroom where the bathtub is already mostly filled with warm water. Lapis sits on the edge of the sink, holding a few towels and some soap in her hands.

Honestly, Gumi needs it. Her hair is matted and stained with blood, her clothes are ripped and filthy, her skin is bruised and dirt caked and heavy bags of sleeplessness cling to her eyes. Her breathing is deep and her eyes are crusted shut.

The two boys lower Gumi down on the bathroom mat and leave, shutting the door behind them.

A few minutes later, Lapis is folding Gumi's clothes and setting them on the counter to be washed when she hears Miku gasp suddenly.

"Miku?" She turns, eyes widening. As Miku had been lowering Gumi into the bathtub, she caught sight of her back and upper thighs and arms. Lapis inhales sharply, gulping. Running all up and down Gumi's back are scars, overlapping and bending as if her skin is a canvas. Some of the scars are obviously cuts, mostly shallow slashes, but some are incredibly dark, meaning they're deep. They vary in colors, some wide and pink, others thin and darker. It looks like an abstract painting has been cut into her flesh. One scar in particular runs all the way from Gumi's right shoulder blade to the other side of her lower back. Some of the scars are little circular white patches of skin, burn marks. There is not a single inch of skin left untouched. Her arms mostly are covered with burn marks and small slashes, her back containing the brunt of the marks. "Oh my god…" Lapis finally exhales, taking a step closer.

"They're… so many…" Miku trails off, at a loss for words. "Should we… tell anybody…?"

Lapis remains silent, thinking for a moment. "No. It's up to her to decide. If she had wanted us to know, she would have said something earlier." Although Lapis is trying to speak with Gumi's wishes, she can't help but feel horrible anger at the thought of hiding something like _this._

"Who would have… done something like this?" Miku says almost silently.

Lapis shakes her head. "I have no idea. Let's just… finish up."

A little while later the two girls emerge from the bathroom of the fancy hotel, Gumi dressed in a complimentary white and fluffy robe. Her skin is actually surprisingly fair. Lapis and Miku set Gumi down under the blankets of the bed and exchange a worried glance. Miku gulps, frowning at the unconscious Gumi.

Yuuma then comes walking into the room, IO trailing him at his heels. He sees the look the girls are giving each other and raises an eyebrow before walking over to the bed.

"She looks a lot better." Yuuma says.

"Yeah… she had a lot of dirt on her, it took a while to scrub a lot of it off." Lapis replies. Miku squirms beside her. Lies are hard.

"Miku?" Yuuma asks. "Why do you look like that?" Miku jumps, her face turning even paler. Lapis sighs, smacking herself in the forehead and muttering something under her breath. Lapis stands off the edge of the bed and turns to walk into the room next door, Miku following her very closely.

"It's nothing, Yuuma." Lapis says before disappearing into the doorway.

IO looks up at the pink haired boy, raising an eyebrow. "What was that about?" Yuuma mutters. IO shrugs his shoulders and follows Yuuma back into the other room.

This room is the larger of the two the group rented. It has two beds pushed up against the back wall, a TV facing them, a mini-fridge under the TV, a bathroom to the right of the beds, and a desk with a chair to the left. The window is large and rectangular and is covered with wooden blinds, creaked slightly open to let sunlight in. Settled in the chair is IA, the hotel's notepad clutched in one hand, a pen in the other. IO rushes over to see what she's doing as Yuuma's gaze travels elsewhere. Len is on the bed closest to the door, an energy drink in one hand and the TV remote in another. Lapis is on the other bed, cleaning off the three guns the group has and counting bullets. Miku is sitting next to Len, watching him flick through channels anxiously. Rin and Oliver are sitting on the floor under the window, extremely close, Yuuma might add. They're both talking quietly, as if they don't want to be heard.

Yuuma moves over to sit next to Lapis when the desk chair thuds into the desk as IA stands up. Her eyes light up suddenly. "Lenny?" She asks, standing and trotting over to the bed where he is with IO close behind.

"Yeah?" Len sets the remote down, smiling at her.

"Where's Yuki? I want to show her this drawing I did!"

The room goes deathly silent. Oliver's face is hidden by his thick curls of hair and Rin immediately tenses, looking away. The blonde boy's shoulders shudder and he stands, walking out into the hallway and shutting the door without a single noise behind him. Miku holds her breath, trying to not cry at the memory. Lapis and Yuuma exchange a confused glance as Len stands, a solemn look in his face that Miku has never seen before. He bends down to IA's level and takes the notepad out of her hands, setting it on the carpet floor below him. Len takes her hands in his and leads her into the next room, easing the door shut behind him.

A few minutes later the noise of quiet sobbing tears through the room as IA begins to cry. Yuuma grips IO gently by the shoulder to stop him from running inside.

"Give her a minute." Yuuma says. IO's shoulders drop and he bites his lip, sitting down with his back against the bed, his head buried in his knees.

Rin stands suddenly, leaving the room and going out into the hallway. It doesn't take her long to find Oliver. He made his way downstairs to the lobby and went into the men's bathroom. Rin does a head check and pushes the door open, stopping it behind her with a chair. Leaning over the sink is Oliver, his eyes puffy and red.

"Rin…" He scoffs dryly, shaking his head and leaning over one of the porcelain sinks. Rin stalks over, an emotionless glare plastered to her face. She grips him harshly by the shoulders and rights him, so that he's standing, slightly hunched in front of her. They stand toe to toe, Rin's eyes spitting fire. Just as Oliver is about to speak again Rin wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him.

"God, you're such a baby…" She chuckles as he runs a hand through her hair. "…running in here to cry alone… sheesh, you're like a high school girl."

"And you seriously suck at being comforting."

"Well, you stopped crying, didn't you?" Rin pauses as Oliver wraps his arms around her upper back and sighs, shaking his head.

"Shut up." Oliver pulls away, giving Rin a small smile.

"'Kay." Rin says before she leans in and brings his lips to hers.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Alright, so… who's gonna' sleep where?" Lapis asks, leaning against the desk back in the hotel room. Outside the sun has already set and the green neon display on the clock says 10:49 PM. Littering the floor are assorted coffee cups and energy drink cans, none which seem to be helping anybody at this point. "We only have three beds so first let's pick who's on watch tonight."

Yuuma moves to stand but Len stops him. "You took last night. I'll go."

"No, you need the sleep." Lapis says, stealing a glance at Miku who nods gently. Earlier Miku had told Lapis how worried she was about Len and how little he has been sleeping. The two seem to really be enjoying each other's company. "I guess I'll do it. I really don't mind. I slept on our way into the city so I'm good enough to go." No one protests. "Now about beds…"

"IA and IO should definitely get one, and because they're small, one other person can share that one, too." Yuuma says. Len nods.

"I'll take this one with them." Len motions to the bed farthest from the door.

"I'll take Miku and share this one." Rin says, flopping down on the one closest to the door. Oliver sighs, rubbing the back of his head.

Oliver reaches for the bed Rin is on, pulling off the comforter blanket and a couple pillows. He lays them down on the floor in between the two beds and stretches out, almost instantly falling asleep.

"That leaves me to share with Miss Unconscious in there." Yuuma points over his shoulder to the next room.

"Have fun with that." Rin gives him a thumbs up and a smirk. Before he leaves Yuuma makes one more check over his shoulder towards where IA and IO are. Len is lying on the right side of the bed with IA on the left and IO in between. IA has draped herself across IO like a blanket, her face buried into his chest, now moist with her tears. She fell asleep a while ago after crying on him and hasn't moved since.

Lapis follows Yuuma back into the other room, leaving the door connecting the two rooms cracked open barely. Yuuma walks Lapis to the door leading out into the hallway and helps her move a chair to sit on out there.

"Thanks." Lapis says, moving to sit down. "Night, Yuuma."

"Wait- Lapis?" He stops himself before going back inside.

"Mm?" She turns to him, slipping her gun into her back pocket and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What were you and Miku not telling me about Gumi?" Lapis' face goes pale and a dark scowl creeps across her fair skin.

"It's nothing, really." Yuuma stands emotionlessly in response.

"I'm not buying it, Lapis." Yuuma crosses his arms over his chest.

Lapis sighs, she's never been a very good liar. "Look, it's not my place to say anything but… if you really want to know… check her back."

"What?"

"That's all I should say… Goodnight, Yuuma."

After a long moment Yuuma turns, closing the door behind him. He sighs, easing out of his heavy jacket and climbing under the blankets as far away from Gumi as possible.

He watches the clock turn from eleven, to eleven thirty, to twelve, to twelve thirty, to one. Eventually Yuuma groans, rolling over onto his back and covering his eyes with his arm. He can't sleep.

A slight movement on the other side of the bed startles him and the pink haired boy props himself up, staring over at Gumi. Her head has moved slightly, her mouth is open a tiny bit and her hair has fallen in her face. Just as Yuuma is about to turn back, Gumi moves again. Her head rolls to the other side and a sound escapes her lips. Her shoulder twitches and her right leg moves slightly. She makes the same whimpering noise. There is a pause and then suddenly her left arm shoots out and her entire body twitches, her head snapping back and forth, caught up in a nightmare.

"N-no…" She mutters nearly inaudibly. "…s-s-stop… n-no." Her voice gradually gets louder and Gumi's arms and legs begin thrashing again, her voice growing to a normal tone. "Stop… no… no…"

Her eyes snap open and she bolts upwards, hands flying for where Gumo is usually clipped on her belt. She is hyperventilating and a bead of sweat rolls off of her face. She doesn't relax. As she sits upright, panting, Yuuma flicks on the lamp on the night stand next to him. As Gumi turns, eyes still wide with panic. When she moves the shoulder of the robe slips down, revealing her upper back.

A large pink line running from her shoulder blade and disappearing behind the white cloth catches Yuuma's eye. Gumi follows his gaze and inhales sharply, tugging the sleeve back into place and nearly jumping off of the bed. Yuuma's arm shoots out and he grabs her right wrist. Gumi shrinks backwards, ready to punch him across the jaw when he rolls up her sleeve. White circular burn marks and little pink slashes cover her shoulders and upper arms. Stitch marks line a particularly large scar close to her collar bone.

Gumi's eyes widen with absolute horror and she rips out of Yuuma's grasp, leaping off of the bed and standing over it, facing him.

"W-what… what are those?" His voice is still quiet and his breath is ragged.

Gumi gulps, glaring at him with a frankly terrifying and hateful expression. Her breathing slows gradually and she backs against the wall before responding almost silently. "The hell does it look like, genius?"

There is a long and empty pause.

"Who-", Gumi's expression silences him instantly.

"Where are we?" She asks softly, in a tone he's never heard anyone use before.

"U-Uh after we got out of… _there, _Len drove like crazy until we got to this huge city… I don't remember what it's called. But we also found this really fancy hotel, it's like five stars or something and I hacked into their computer system and booked us two rooms. Everyone else is in the other one… you passed out right after the fight so we wanted to give you space. I'm only in here 'cos we ran out of beds."

Gumi inhales deeply, righting herself. Her voice turns to its normal tone. "So, everyone's alive then, huh?" Yuuma nods.

"Were you… uh… having a nightmare?" Gumi's face goes pale, her eyes hidden by the shadows created by the lamp.

Her voice comes out soft and weird again as she returns to that eerie tone. "I-I have… night terrors. Ever since I was six."

"Oh. That's why you wanted watch duty last night… You can't sleep around other people because you wake them up." Gumi nods barely.

There is another very long pause.

"H-How much did you see?" Gumi's voice is strained and hollow. She slowly raises her head. Her expression is literally horrifying. Her eyes are sunken and empty, a dead expression plastered onto her face. The way she wears it seems like its second nature, the other part of her.

Yuuma's voice croaks out softly. "Enough."

"Oh." Gumi shifts uncomfortably. "Did… anyone else… see?"

Yuuma nods slowly. "Miku and Lapis." Gumi sighs deeply.

Another pause.

"Gumi?" Yuuma asks, leaning forward towards her from his position still on the bed. "Who did that?"

Gumi's eyes flash with rage. "It's none of your concern, Yuuma." Her tone is deep and forceful.

"Yes. It is now." She glares at him as his voice takes the same tone. "Tell me, please."

"Why? Who gives two shits? They're _scars _meaning stuff that happened, past tense. It doesn't matter anymore." Gumi fumes.

"Yes, it does."

"Why, because it wrote my _'story'_?" Gumi uses air quotes, grumbling angrily.

"No, because someone hurt you _that _horribly... and so many times, Gumi. None of us know anything about you, _anything. _I can tell you honestly wish we _didn't _care, but I know they do and I do. That's what happens when you're friends with people, Gumi. They _care._"

"Don't." She croaks out.

"Gumi-"

"Don't… you… dare."

They both say nothing.

"I won't tell anyone else." Yuuma says, hopeful. His voice soft, the same tone he uses when talking to IA. Gumi scoffs.

"I know you won't." She says, shaking her head slowly.

"Then tell me."

"I really can't."

"Why-"

"Because you'll never trust me again!" She nearly screams. Surprisingly no one wakes up. Everyone is too exhausted. Gumi stands, breathing heavily, feeling like she's about to put her foot through the wall.

Yuuma says nothing.

"You don't know that." He finally says.

"I've been through this enough times with so many different people… it's always the same…" Gumi trails off, as if remembering something.

"Gumi, we are freaking traveling with immortal demons."

"I know." A cicada chirps outside. "Do you really… want to know?" Her voice is childish and pained.

Yuuma nods. Gumi moves over to the bed and turns, her back facing Yuuma. She moves one of the sleeves on the robe, exposing her entire back. Yuuma feels like he's going to throw up. They're all so deep… even the most shallow ones… the pain must have been excruciating. Gumi reaches up with one hand, and points at one larger slash across her upper back.

"This was the first one. I think I was… three or four years old. I didn't get the burns until I was six." Gumi speaks calmly and emotionlessly, as if re telling a story she's heard hundreds of times before. She pulls the robe back on and sits on the end of the bed, facing the wall.

Then she starts.

"I loved my mom. She was the nicest person to ever walk the planet. If I believed in heaven, she would be God's favorite angel. But she had her faults. One of them was my father. He could never keep a job, he was a raging drunk and drug addict. Hardcore stuff, too. Sometimes he would disappear for days or weeks on end. Those were the best days of my childhood. The things he did when he _was _home… I think my earliest memory of him was hearing my mother sob in the other room. Sometimes she would scream." Yuuma cringes. "I think he got bored of her… or something like that. He moved onto me next… I was so little… I didn't know it was wrong, what he would do." Gumi smiles sadly. "God… I was so young. It was every night he was home. 'Stop crying, Gumi, or I'll make sure you never see _Mommy _again.' Sometimes he brought a camera. I think once he brought one of his dealers to watch…" Gumi pinches the bridge of her nose and rubs her right temple slowly. "It's all kind-of fuzzy, now.

"My mom couldn't do anything. She got the worst of it. Always. She tried, she always tried to get me out of the house. She would take me to work with her, pay for expensive day care and those stupid Karate lessons, just to get me out of the house. My dad made sure my mom didn't have any friends… she didn't have any family either. Neither of them did.

"The night that it happened… He hadn't been home for almost a month. Mom thought he was finally gone for good. I was seven. IA's age. That night, before I went to bed, she let me eat three cookies. It's almost as if she knew…" For a moment Yuuma thinks she's going to cry, but Gumi quickly continues. "…It was around midnight. I woke up to her screaming. It wasn't like normal, though. It was a horrible, blood curdling, _scream. _The stuff of nightmares and horror movies. I snuck out of my room and into the kitchen.

Gumi's breath hitches and she shudders, as if the scene is right before her. "He was there. He had a… hammer and a gun. Mom was dead. There wasn't anything I could do but I didn't know that… God I was so little. I don't remember what he said to me. But it wasn't any of that hallmark crap, 'I'm doing this because I love you but I'm really insane and my idea of love is 'effed up'. It just _wasn't. _He picked up the gun and just started walking." Gumi chuckles emotionlessly, raking her hand through her hair. "Even dead, my mom still loved me. He tripped over her body and sent the gun flying. And of course it landed right by me. I just did what I had to.

"It wasn't even a clean shot either… oh no, I watched him bleed out on the kitchen floor while I sat in my mother's blood for _hours. _The police finally showed up when some kid on his bike came by and saw a little girl dripping in blood through the window.

"I got put into foster care, my name plastered all over any sort of media outlet as, 'The Girl Who Murdered Her Father.' The year immediately after is all a blur. I know I spent some time in a mental treatment facility. I was mute for a while. I got released to the state eventually. But no one wants to adopt the little murder girl. I went through over thirty foster homes and a dozen different state homes and adoption agencies in seven years. I even had a stint in juvie for a tiny little case of arson. So now you know. I'm a serial killer, arsonist, and insane, orphan that the world forgot."

The cicada has long gone away and this time the silence is eternal between the two. Yuuma slowly stands, walking over to the side of the bed where Gumi is sitting. He stands in front of her, his expression unreadable. Suddenly he bends down and wraps his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Gumi doesn't say anything or do anything. She remains silent and stoic, simply sitting there emotionlessly.

After a minute she lightly pushes Yuuma away and lies back down on top of the blankets, without saying another word. She closes her eyes, but doesn't sleep.

Yuuma lies next to her.

The two don't sleep at all that night.


	15. Liar, Liar

**OMG! 400 reviews! Thank you all so, so, so, so much! *Jumps around room*! **

**Special thanks to my four hundredth, and almost four hundredth, reviewers, Manga-Cats-Anime, and XxKingArthurIIIxX. **

**400 reviews and 20,000 views... I DON'T DESERVE THE LOVE! XD Thank you all soooooooo much!  
**

**Here's a chapter I think everyone who enjoys IA and IO will love, so take this as my thanks for all the great reviews. I'll have another question at the end of this chapter, it's short so don't flip out if you hate those, but I'd love to see what everyone thinks!  
**

**Thank you all so so very much, oh and one more thing, enjoy!**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_

* * *

_X~52~X_

IA stares out the hotel window, her red eyes flickering back in the reflection on the glass. She tilts her head sideways as another set of gleaming red eyes come into this distorted mirror. IO hangs just above her, mouth slightly open as a gust of snow blows past the window, sending white flurries dancing in the air. IA's breath catches and IO places a palm on the cold glass, wincing and drawing back suddenly, as if it scared him.

"It's cold…"

"It's snow…" IA replies, voice entirely filled with absolute wonder.

"It looks like your hair." IO states, smirking just a little. IA turns to him, eyes filled with deep sorrow IO doesn't understand. He doesn't know where it came from, but here it is, plain and simple all of the sudden, a sharp yet such a dull pain drilled into her watery and gleaming red eyes.

"It's snow." She repeats, voice faltering.

"IA-"

"It's snow. It's… yuki." She turns back to the window and her back arches. She places one palm on the glass. As her shoulders begin to shudder, her other free hand flies up and covers her eyes that are now under the blanket of her hair. IO lurches forward, nearly throwing himself onto the thin window seat. He sits next to her and throws out his arm over her shoulder. He doesn't have to pull her, IA throws herself into his side, burying her face into his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck, sobbing so hard she's silent.

IO catches his own reflection in the snowy glass. He is almost ashamed to say the snow is beautiful.

Len glances over to the window, IA is bawling again. His hair casts a heavy shadow over his eyes and a deep raspy sigh escapes his lips. It hurts. What maybe even hurts worse is that IO is comforting her. He's the only one she'll speak to, and the one she goes to now to cry on. IA doesn't trust Len anymore. Only IO. And he is painfully aware. Len watches IO wrap both of his arms around IA's upper back and squeeze her gently, burying his own face into the top of her hair and inhaling, as if drawing comfort from the one he's comforting.

Setting the bundle of new towels down on the freshly made bed- courtesy of Lapis- Len turns and walks into the other room, leaving the children to their own type of silence.

In the other room, the one with only one bed, a type of calming air hangs between the group, like a pleasant fog. Len's eyes scan the room for the one person he really wants to talk to. In the frame of the bathroom door Lapis is combing through the large mass that is Miku's hair. The two girls talk quietly, Miku's face vibrant and Lapis' face content. On the only bed in the room, oddly enough, are Gumi and Yuuma. Gumi is leaning against the head board of the bed, flicking through movie channels lazily. Yuuma sits next to her, but not close, watching the way she moves instead of the TV, as if Gumi is more interesting than any action flick on the screen. Gumi's eyes have a sense of hollowness that has somehow become apparent overnight, and Yuuma looks tired. Len's eyes move on to under the window in this room. Rin sits with her back to the glass, nestled into-

Len nearly screams. Rin and Oliver sit on the window seat, facing outwards towards the rest of the room. Oliver holds a book in his hand, one he stole from luggage downstairs, with Rin's head resting in the crook between his neck and shoulder. His head rests on hers, the same way IA's does when she sleeps on IO's chest. Both of their eyes are down, but Oliver's free hand is wrapped around Rin's lower back, pulling her into his side, nearly invisible. Rin's eyes flutter closed for a moment and Oliver whispers something in her ear. Rin nods gently. Oliver turns the page of the book.

Len stalks over to them, nearly fuming. "Rin." The two blondes are snapped, rather violently, out of their daze. Rin pulls away from Oliver so fast she nearly hits her head on the window. Oliver drops the book onto the floor with a soft thud and a crimson color rockets up his face. He squirms, giving an awkward glance at Len before hurriedly looking away. Rin stifles a laugh, but is actually quite angry.

"What?" She stands, facing Len. Len gives a half-sided confused and half disgusted glance at Oliver before grabbing Rin by the wrist and pulling her into the other room, past the still inconsolable IA and IO, into the bathroom. He shuts the door behind him and Rin frowns as he releases her. Crossing her arms over her chest she speaks. "What? I was enjoying myself if you hadn't noticed-"

"It's the IO kid."

"Oh. What about him?" Rin relaxes slightly.

"That's exactly it. We know nothing about him."

"We know nothing about Gumi, but she's still here." Rin raises an eyebrow and Len's face goes dark.

"That's the point, Rin. We know basically nothing about each other, except for me and you. How much do you actually know about Oliver?" Rin cuts him off by placing a hand flat against the chest of her twin, and glaring daggers. "I'm serious, Rin. This isn't me just being… _me _about whatever _that _was… it's a real problem. None of us know anything about each other. That's a weakness, especially us being this big of a group now."

"Why do you suddenly care? Because IA likes another seven year old better than you? Len, Yuuma told us they were in a cell together. We have no idea what they might have been through together-"

"Yes, Rin. Yes we do." Len's eyes go very, very dark and Rin glances at the floor, her face sinking. The two sit in their silence of memories before Rin decides to break it again.

"What's your point? You're jealous of a seven year old?"

"No, I'm worried about our weaknesses. We don't trust each other." Rin remains quiet for a moment. "And… IA… I did this to her."

"Huh?"

Len's voice takes a different tone, one Rin has only heard a handful of times before, and all times she'd rather not think about. "It's my fault they took her again… it's my fault that… that Yuki-"

A loud clap echoes through the bathroom, Rin stands, her hand raised, Len's cheek red from where she slapped him. Her face is literally, furious.

She stalks forward, forcing Len to press himself against the door. Rin puts her index finger in his face and speaks in a deep and forceful manner. "You don't get to always blame yourself, Len. If IA hadn't gotten taken back again, IO wouldn't be here, Yuuma wouldn't be here. Yuki… that's on all of us. You think you need to take everything on alone, Len. You don't. You're such…" Rin chuckles. "…you're such an idiot sometimes." She reaches up, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.

She pulls away suddenly and punches him playfully, yet very roughly, in the arm, before walking out of the bathroom.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Alright, who had the fried rice?" Yuuma asks, holding up a brown Chinese food container. Gumi's hand shoots up in the air and her lips peel into a grin. The last container out of the take out bag is passed down and the sound of cardboard popping and chopsticks breaking fills the one bed room.

"Soy me." Gumi's hand flings outwards and Rin tosses one of the white packets into the air. Gumi's hand snaps around it like a snake around prey.

IO throws his hands into the container and after he's slurped down a fistful of noodles he glances at IA. The girl stares down into the brown cardboard rectangle, her face contorted into an unreadable expression.

The nearly identical boy sets his food container back down on the desk and turns to look at IA. She's still staring down, unmoving, unspeaking, unbreathing. IO bends down, peering into her line of vision. He places a hand on her upper back and frowns at her face when she raises it. Len glances over to see IA close to tears and IO in a similar position. He leans forward and stands, placing himself on the other side of IA. IO pulls his arm around her shoulder and she leans into him, looking as if she's about to puke.

"IA?" Len asks softly, the voice he always uses around her. She shakes her head and mutters under her breath.

IO presses his forehead to the side of her temple and IA's eyes flickered close for a moment. She hiccups and covers her mouth with her hand, almost about to cry again. Len's heart sinks. IO plays with her fingers unconsciously, and with his other hand runs his fingers through one strand of her hair. She releases her breath in one shuddering gasp and everyone falls silent.

"Hey…" Len coos gently, reaching out for one of IA's hands. She flinches away, leaning entirely into IO, as if she can't support herself anymore. She's nearly on top of him, her face hidden in his shoulder. IO looks up, frowning at Len. "IA-"

She jerks upwards suddenly, eyes full of anger and a horrible aching sadness. "No!" She nearly screams. Miku's hands fly to her ears instinctively and Lapis places her hand on Miku's back as IA stands, hovering just over Len's head as he sits dumbfounded on the floor. "No!" She repeats just as loud. Gumi's eyes widen and Yuuma's jaw nearly drops.

"IA-", IO is cut off as the little fragile girl begins to shout.

"No, Lenny! You _lied_! You lie and you _lied!_ You said you'd protect me, you said you'd protect us!" Len's face falls, his eyes concealed behind an emotionless mask from a long time ago. IA is nearly incoherent, screaming. "Us is everyone! Us is everybody! IO was alone! He's _us! _I was alone! Miki's alone! Yuki's _dead!_"

No one breathes.

IA starts again, nearly sobbing. "You can't protect us Lenny! You can't! You lied! You promised and you _LIED! _Just like Piko! He said it would be _okay! YOU ALL LIE!" _IA throws herself out of the room, running as fast as anyone had ever seen a child her age move. IO's eyes shake with horror in their sockets, and without thinking he scrambles over the rest of the dumbfounded group, bolting out the door after her nearly just as fast.

No one breathes.

"Who's… who's Piko?" Yuuma asks quietly, nearly silently.

Miku replies, as the only one who can muster a voice. "Her big brother."

"Where-"

"He died." Miku finishes. Len stands, slowly moving out into the hallway and closing the door softly behind him.

IO runs as fast as his legs can ever move. He passes by a hotel maid, startling her, and darts through another hallway when the sound of choking sobs stops him dead in his tracks. IO nearly falls flat on his face, not used to running and abruptly stopping. To his right is the ice machine in a little nook in the wall. There is a small gap between it and the wall and a strand of bleach blonde hair curls around the side of the cord. IO sighs, relieved, and slowly walks over, bending down facing the gap behind the gently humming ice machine.

IA is curled up into fetal position, leaning against the wall, her head buried in her arms, the sleeves of Len's former jacket soaked entirely soaked through with tears. IO crawls forward slowly until he's sitting next to her, facing the back of the ice machine. If it hadn't been for her hair, she would have been entirely hidden.

IO slowly reaches out his hand and curls his fingers around hers. IA flinches instantly. IO repeats the instinctual pattern of threading his fingers through hers and touching the tips systematically with a kind of gentleness that spreads a warmth creeping through IA. Her breath catches instantly and she immediately stops sobbing.

"Go away… you'll lie too." She mumbles quietly in a low pitch, defeated. IO moves closer, resting his head on her shoulder. Despite her best efforts to act strong, IA can't help but relax at his contact.

"Mm nhn." IO shakes his head "no" and IA feels the movement distinctly on her shoulder.

"Yes… you… will…" She chokes, tensing suddenly and gripping her knees strongly as her sobs begin to rock her body back and forth.

"No." IO states simply, pressing his forehead to her temple and curling into her side. The movement she makes is instinctual, she curls her left arm around his shoulders and pushes him deeper into her side.

"Y-yes you will!" She raises her voice slightly.

"No." He moves a strand of her hair off of his shoulder and wraps it around his hand. IA's sobs are quiet now, less strained and soft. IO presses one of his thumbs into the side of her neck, moving it around in small circles under the base of her skull. IA whines softly, the cries are almost gone.

"B-but you will." She shudders.

"I'll never make you sad. I promise." IO's voice is as soft as it was the night he stumbled into her cell. He's never seen IA like this. And it makes him want to strangle Len.

"B-but you'll break it and l-lie."

IO shakes his head and she slowly raises her splotchy and red, tear stained face, both of their equally red eyes burning with the same fierce and soft intensity at the same time.

"No. I'll never ever make you sad." IA breaks finally, throwing herself into IO's arms and gripping him so tight the breath from his lungs whooshes out, he sits surprised, yet happy. After a quiet moment after IA had long stopped crying, IO speaks again. "I'll talk to Len… for you… if you want." IA nods meekly and raises her head slowly from his chest, pressing her lips to his ear to whisper what she wants him to say.

IO nods softly and stands, pulling IA to her feet gently. She drapes her arms around IO's neck, trailing behind him as he walks slowly so she doesn't fall. The first person they see is Yuuma, whose eyes automatically soften with relief.

"Guys! IO found her!" He calls down the hallway loudly. Yuuma slowly moves forward, bending down in front of the two and noticing the solemn expression on IA's face. IO seems as relieved as Yuuma and the steadily approaching rest of the group. Rin is missing as well as Len.

"Yuuma…" IO speaks quietly, embarrassed to talk in front of anyone that isn't IA. Yuuma nods, waiting. "IA wants me to talk to Len for her."

"Rin went to get him, he's outside." IO eases out of IA's grasp and turns to walk down to the lobby. In less than two minutes he's stumbled outside into the white flurries, and the scent of smoke attracts him to the side of the building.

Rin leans against the wall next to Len, who has his hair hiding his face entirely, a cigarette clasped between his fingers and pressed to his lips. Rin is in a similar position, her free hand on his shoulder. Their conversation is inaudible it's so soft. IO stops, standing in front of the two. Rin raises her head but Len doesn't look up as a plume of smoke floats above his head.

IO gulps. "IA… wanted me to come talk… for her. But… I'm not gonna' say what she wanted." Len lifts his head slightly, red eyes still hidden. IO gags a little at the overwhelming scent of cigars emanating from the space between the two twins. He inhales deeply before speaking slowly, with purpose, careful not to trip on his own oddly forceful words. "You made her sad. Really, really sad, yesterday. But before… she talked about you all the time. All the time. Whenever I'd cry…" IO pauses at the sound of his own weakness and a faint hint of disgust shows on his face as he continues, having admitted that he was so pathetic to have shown his pain to IA. "…she told me all about you. But now she's sad, and I'm…" He searches for a word. "…angry. You made her sad, and that makes me angry." His face has surprisingly turned dark for the look of a child. "I want- I _need _her to be happy again, and I'll make her happy again, so you stop making her sad!" IO shouts at the end, sweat dripping off his face despite the overwhelming cold of the air. "Make her not sad, and I'll make her happy." IO stops now, pausing for a long time and thinking something to himself. His face scrunches up in minor frustration, as if the words he's looking for are so far away. So he settles for the closest one's he knows. "She's mine to make happy!" He shouts quite loudly, so that his voice bounces around the hotel walls. He stands fuming now, breathing heavily under the snow. He's never talked this much to anyone but IA.

IO turns, spinning on his heel, and walks angrily and swiftly back into the hotel, stomping off in the snow. Rin chuckles as Len sighs, raising his head up to the clouds and pinching the bridge of his nose as he drops the cigarette butt into the snow beneath him.

"'Didn't know he had this much _fire._" She says brightly but yet in her signature monotone. Len grunts in response. "I don't know what he was trying to do, but it worked." Rin smirks.

"Worked?" Len snips, turning to face her.

"Well, you talked, for one." Rin turns her head slightly sideways, the way she used to when they were kids. Or, when they still _felt _like they were kids. "And two, you've stopped moping. The depression around you is gone."

Len stares at the blanket of cold emptiness on the ground, silent. He brings his hand to his chest and exhales deeply. "I don't feel like it's gone."

"Well, that's because you're an idiot."

"Screw off, Rin."

"Everyone's just full of _fire _today, huh?" Rin takes a long drag from her cigarette, blowing it out quite obnoxiously into Len's face to get a rise.

"…Don't think that just because I'm having a really bad day, doesn't mean I'm not going to punch you out for the smoking later." Len glares at her, angrily, yet playfully.

"I dunno', you seemed to pretty much not mind when you were smoking next to me…" Rin laughs.

Len elbows her gently in the arm. "Shut up."

"C'me on, let's go back inside. It's freakin' cold."

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Alright, who's sleeping where?" Lapis proposes again, standing off of her position on the floor where she had been watching a movie with everyone else. Rin groans, throwing herself down on the bed, grumbling loudly.

"I don't want to _think _anymore. We're leaving tomorrow, that _alone _is enough to make me wanna' puke my brains out." Rin whines. Oliver chuckles on the floor beneath her and she kicks him sharply in the back of the head. He glares at her through his one eye.

"Well, first, who's taking watch? Clearly not Rin, and I'm freaking exhausted, I can't do that two nights in a row." Lapis declares, sighing deeply and sitting on top of the nightstand between the two beds.

"I got it." Gumi stands, cracking her back and grinning.

"Oh no-o-o." Len chuckles dryly, shaking his head, standing as well. "You literally passed out from exhaustion and slept for nearly two days straight and now you want to stay up all night? Are you crazy?"

"Yes, yes, I am." Gumi states blandly, sighing in slight aggravation. "Len, really I'm fine-"

Yuuma interjects sharply. "No, he's right." She sends him a glare only he can see that literally sends chills rocketing down his spine. "He's right." Yuuma repeats, softer this time.

"Just sleep with me and Miku, Gumi." Rin says. Gumi's eyes go wide with horror momentarily and flash with another emotion only known to Yuuma. Before the green haired girl can protest, Yuuma jumps in. Again. Much to her annoyance.

"She can't."

Rin raises an eyebrow. "Why the hell not?"

"Becau-" Gumi steps back, sharply digging the heel of her boot into Yuuma's toe. He flinches in pain and whines under his breath. Gumi whispers so softly he's the only one that can hear.

"You'll shut up if you know what's good for you." Yuuma has never been threatened like this before, ever. Gumi is honestly terrifying when angry, so he quiets down. She doesn't ease off of his foot.

"Because _what_?" Len asks as Miku stands, coming up close behind the blonde, still whipped from the events of earlier. Miku places her hand gently on his shoulder, to calm him down slightly. Len notices but doesn't acknowledge her.

"Nothing. But you really should res-", Yuuma whimpers in pain and bites his lip as Gumi digs her heel into Yuuma's foot even deeper.

Rin raises an eyebrow. "What's going on?" She asks, confused.

"Nothing!" Gumi assures, grinning devilishly.

"Yeah, _right._" Oliver agrees sarcastically, earning him another kick from Rin.

"It's not nothing…" Miku says very softly behind Len. "… Gumi… me and Lapis saw-"

Gumi's eyes widen with absolute horror and she immediately cuts Miku's soft voice off like a saw blade hitting wood. "It's really, honestly, nothing, guys. I just don't like sleeping near other people, it's always bothered me. I freaked out a little when I woke up and saw Yuuma next to me, that's how he knows. It's embarrassing so I really didn't want to talk about." She casts her eyes down, faking embarrassment quite flawlessly, to Yuuma's astonishment. "…It's really not a big deal."

"You're lying." Miku states simply from behind Len. Gumi tenses and her eyes burn like they do when she's about to fight somebody.

"I'm not."

"You are." Miku musters enough inner strength to argue, to everyone's surprise. Lapis grips Miku gently by the wrist of her free hand and simply shakes her head. Yuuma stares at Lapis and the blue haired girl gives the same worried expression back.

"Miku-" Gumi starts.

"Gumi we saw-"

"Miku!" Lapis whispers harshly, causing the teal haired girl's shoulders to sink slightly. She has no intention of backing down and yet she seems to be extremely saddened at what she's doing.

"Let her talk!" Len scolds, sending the room rocketing over a wave of silence.

Miku thinks for a very long moment before pausing. She steps backwards, away from Len, and simply shakes her head. "It's nothing." Miku turns to Lapis, her face pale and pleading. "Lapis… can you help me take a shower… before I go to bed." Lapis gives her a meek and surprised nod.

"Sure, Miku." She says softly, taking the teal haired girl by the hand and leading her into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them with a soft click.

* * *

**One of Tiruneko's Weird Little Pointless Questions: Fill in the blank! Poor_. Who did you feel really bad for this chapter? I know this is a little... somber but this chapter wasn't exactly a "light read".  
**

**Character Pole:**

**No change, so I won't take the time to re-write this. Sorry I'm lazy and my laptop's almost dead! **

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**


	16. The Way We Stand

**Before this chapter I have some stuff to address really quick, gommen!  
**

**Well, I have learned something from the last chapter. I suck at Moe-fluff and should stop. XD! Based off of the reaction to the last chapter which mainly focused on IA and IO, I feel like I need to apologize to you and them! Because I read the scenes myself and realized how... terribly the past chapter came out, I'm going to give you a brief explanation of what I had _wanted _it to turn out like. **

**I know that IA came off as a little... bratty and whiney, but keep in mind, she's a young girl who just learned of a horribly tragic death of her first, and maybe only, normal friend. Her behavior was a little bratty and obnoxious but who can really blame her after her very sudden and terrible loss? IO also is only really concerned for IA's happiness, and his "stop making her sad so I can make her happy" quote was meant to sound adorable, but sadly, it didn't turn out that way. It's not that he doesn't like Len, but that he is upset at him because IA thinks he is the reason why she's sad, when she really isn't, but is just sad that her friend has died and nothing can be done about it. **

**Hope this helps, not that I disagree with any of you, I actually agree with everyone who said they came off as bratty after reading it myself. I just wanted to explain where I was coming from with this so that no one hates poor IA and IO for my suckie writting! I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but you'll see why at the end. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
**

**Thanks for all the great reviews as usual!**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~53~X_

"Gumi!" Gumi's eyes snap open to the sound of a harsh whisper calling her name. The second her eyes fly open, she's greeted with an immediate wall of darkness, then, a pair of clear blue eyes dangling almost inches in front of hers. A strong weight pushes down on her arms, pinning them across her chest, a hand is cupped over her mouth. She can feel the sweat on her face.

She instantly panics out of instinct of similar past situations. Her hands struggle and claw at Yuuma's fingers, and when he suddenly pulls away and yelps, an instant sense of guilt hits her.

"Jesus…" Yuuma whispers, now sitting cross legged on the bed, rubbing his scratched up palms. Gumi sits up, the white sheet of the bed bending with her. She leans against the head board, pushing her hair out of her face and holding it there for a moment.

"Sorry." She mutters softly, exhaling. The two sit in silence for a moment. Gumi relaxes onto the brown headboard, her eyes trailing her own arm in the darkness. She reaches out her other hand and tentatively traces one of the larger lines in her skin from under the fabric of her shirt. She doesn't need to look to know where it is.

Yuuma crawls back up to his side of the bed, also finding himself leaning against the head board and picking at the dirt caked under his nails.

"Was it a bad one?" Yuuma asks softly.

"Yeah." Gumi responds factually and somberly.

"Are you okay-"

"Yeah." She cuts him off abruptly, finishing before he asked.

"Have you ever talked to anyone else about it?"

Gumi waits a long moment before replying. "No."

"Why me?" Yuuma asks, slightly intrigued.

"Because you wouldn't let it go." Gumi pops one of her knuckles and forces herself to stop stroking the scar. She pulls the sheets up over her shoulder and turns, letting her back face Yuuma again. Yuuma lies down, facing upwards on his pillow, listening to the soft gusts of wind outside for a while.

"You're not going to sleep."

"I know."

"You should at least try."

"No. I don't want to go back there." Gumi contemplates asking him why he cares so much. She is so absolutely frustrated at Yuuma's blatant concern. She doesn't care what he thinks, doesn't care about his opinion in how she should be coping. She's done this her whole life and doesn't need any advice now. She seriously contemplates snapping, demanding to know why he cares. Then, after a moment, she bites her lip. She's already figured out the answer herself and sure as hell doesn't want to hear it from him.

In the other room, Len can't sleep. After much arguing, Oliver won in the fight over who gets to take watch. Len would have rather known he can't sleep and couldn't if he wanted to, then know that he can sleep and can't.

When the group was deciding on beds earlier, IO made a suprising move. Instead of him in the middle and IA and Len on opposite ends, he silently insisted on taking the end opposite from Len, forcing IA to sleep in between. Len has no idea why, even now, but he is thankful either way.

It's been too long since he's listened to her soft breath at night. IA seems to have the most peaceful dreams out of everyone and being close to her while she sleeps becomes contagious. It's like when one person yawns, everyone else in the room yawns. IA radiates calm when she sleeps.

But of course, the one night when Len needs to sleep, his good luck charm is having a nightmare. IA has been frowning in her sleep since she fell asleep, and now, in the very corners of her eyes, tears are forming. She hiccups lightly, but doesn't wake up. Instead she rolls onto her side, unintentionally burying her face into Len's side. He inhales sharply, then exhales deeply, almost _exited. _

He puts the top of his hand incredibly gently on IA's head and rubs his fingers through her scalp with a feathery light touch. Len dips his head down close to her ear and whispers her name in a tone so unbelievable soft, it would have been nearly unrecognizable to anyone but the few that have heard it before.

"IA. You're okay."

Almost instantly she calms.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Ready?" Rin mutters softly, staring at Oliver from her peripheral vision. He nods from the other side of the hall way leading into the hotel's lobby. Rin peeks her head around the corner, and silently signals to Lapis, who steps out onto the marble floor and stops a bellman toting a luggage cart loaded with expensive looking bags.

Rin can see Lapis talking to the bellman, who eagerly steps away, being falsely polite and doing his job. The blonde haired girl walks with Oliver close to her side. Oliver splits off and distracts the main worker at the counter while Rin unzips a laptop bag.

"Bingo." She whispers as she draws out a silver laptop and charger. Quickly she moves her finger across the zipper, drawing it shut silently and nodding to Lapis, who begins to wrap up her conversation as Rin and Oliver slink out of the lobby and cram themselves into the elevator, waiting for the blue haired girl.

"That was easier than I expected with more people." Lapis smiles. "Usually my pick-pocketing schemes involve fireworks." Her eyes light up with a rather disturbing look.

"Wow… you _really _like fire." Oliver raises an eyebrow. "By the way, why did we even take this in the first place?"

Rin slaps herself in the forehead, groaning. "You helped us steal without even knowing why?"

Oliver smirks. "Well?" He repeats as the elevator chirps with the number of their floor appearing on the display.

"Because, Gumi and strawberry head are hiding something. I want to know, and Lapis won't tell." Rin shoots the neon haired girl an accusing glare. Lapis frowns, blushing slightly.

"It's not my place, but whatever we find out _together _out of _common _interest is totally fine. Technically. 'Cos I haven't told you anything. Technically."

They slink back into their room, the one with two beds, and pass a still sleeping IA and Len and IO, still on the same bed together. Miku's face lights up as they enter the room. Rin nods in a silent confirmation, holding up the laptop. Lapis sits with the silver device in her hand, a widespread search engine open. Miku is on her right and Oliver and Rin on her left.

"Try Yuuma, first." Rin suggests, whispering. A page with a list of names pops up, but none _their _Yuuma. "That was stupid. I guess Demon's Crow citizens wouldn't exist on the internet, huh? Alright, then I guess our only option is Gumi."

Lapis fingers fly across the keyboard and once she hits enter, _instantly _thousands of related pages pop open. Oliver's, Miku's, Rin's, and Lapis' eyes widen in absolute horror.

"That… couldn't be her, right?" Lapis clicks on the first article and no one dares to breathe. A gallery of crime scene and media photos is tagged at the bottom of the news report and the very first picture, plastered as clear as day, is Gumi, only about seven years younger. Without being able to resist Lapis' now shaking hands click the next picture, a photo from a crime scene. And the next. And the next. Until the noise of a sharp gasp comes from behind them.

With agonizingly slow movements the group of four turn to find the green haired girl staring over their shoulders, and a pink haired boy behind.

Miku can't tell if Gumi is about to puke. Or sob. Or scream. Or maybe all of the above. Her fists sharply clench and her fingernails press with such force into her palms that a very small speck of blood forms in both hands. Her shoulders shudder and she dips her head, obscuring her eyes with her hair and a heavy shadow. Yuuma steps forward as Gumi simply shakes her head, her mouth peeling into a very small and twisted smile.

"You people can never just let it go, can you?" She laughs dryly.

"Gumi we-", Gumi silences her instantly with the unbridled mixture of hurt, rage, and just plain sadness swimming in her eyes. The group watches in silence as Gumi's gaze falls onto the picture that automatically moved onto the screen.

It's an image of a kitchen, one with pretty white shiny tile and gleaming white appliances and warm oak colored cabinets. Painting the floors are literal pools of blood. If Yuuma was standing in the picture, it would cover his toes. Sitting nearly drowned in this pool is a black pistol smothered in small, bloody handprints. Next to this is a plastic evidence card marking the gun as item number one. The back side of a body is blurred out with a black strip, too graphic to release to the public. An overturned chair lies across its body, with shattered and splintering legs.

Suddenly Gumi's eyes widen with an absolutely unreadable expression and a sharp intake of breath escapes her lips. She flings herself forward, slamming the bathroom door behind her. The sound of pained retching comes from the bathroom.

Yuuma can hardly believe what he's staring at.

The story Gumi had told was so graphic _sounding _but the images were even more petrifying and horrible than he could have ever imagined. Without another word he slowly moves towards the bathroom and pushes open the door she hadn't had time to lock before the wave of sickness had overtaken her.

She's still vomiting. Her goggles have been pulled down over her eyes, hiding her expression and what Yuuma assumes to be tears. He silently closes and locks the door behind him out of respect.

He moves over, bending down behind Gumi and taking the two long strands of her hair in his hands, pulling them over her head so they don't get caught in her bile. After a minute she stops and reaches up, fingers flailing miserably for the flush handle. Yuuma gets it for her and watches as the now very lightheaded girl collapses to her side, letting her temple rest on the side of the hotel bathtub.

Her mouth is slightly open and her head lolls gently, relying entirely on the porcelain tub for support. Her shoulders move ever so slightly and gently with each absolutely silent cry, entirely hidden by her goggles. Yuuma raises his hand to remove them and Gumi's hands snap upwards, almost slapping him away rather violently.

"Don't. Touch." She whispers threateningly. Yuuma complies wordlessly, letting her continue this small fit of emotion like no other.

After a long moment of silence, Yuuma cranes his head forwards. Gumi notices his stare and pushes herself up off of the side of the tub, her glare still visible through the smudged up lenses of her glasses, steamy with warm tears. Her glare radiates off of her, even without Yuuma even seeing it. She staggers to her feet and steps over Yuuma, still on the floor, and stands in front of the mirror.

"Turn around." Gumi orders gruffly. Yuuma stands and looks away as Gumi pulls her goggles off of her eyes.

_It's been a long time. _Gumi thinks to herself, holding her bangs out of her face with one hand and reaching for a hand towel with another. _Crying still feels the same. _She runs cold water and dips the edge of the towel in the water, rubbing it on her eyes. _Freaking terrible. _

She pulls another dry towel off of the rack and dries off the last of the water. Her eyes look better, with barely any traces of her "episode."

Gumi turns around, looking at Yuuma, still facing the wall quietly. _Idiot. _She thinks bitterly, picking her goggles off of the counter and adjusting them back onto the top of her head as normal. "Turn around now." Gumi glares at him harshly when he turns around. Somehow Yuuma looks more torn up than she does. "What's with that face?" She nearly seethes. "Don't look at me like that."

"You have every right to be upset-"

"Don't say anything. I don't need it right now." Gumi throws open the door and upon walking out is immediately greeted by a room of red and blue and amber eyes. Lapis is the first to stand up, dropping the backpack she had been hurriedly packing.

"Gumi-"

"Can we not do this?" She cuts them off instantly and reaches for the bag closest to the bathroom. "We're leaving soon, right? I'll take the bags out."

IA rushes over from the other corner of the room, cradling a pink stripped backpack in her arms, blissfully unaware of the tension and rabidly eager to help. She holds up the bag with both hands, grinning. Gumi gives a fake smile back, placing a hand on IA's head and taking the bag. IO comes up behind, holding a Ziploc bag full of water bottles. He also hands the bag to Gumi. His red eyes follow Gumi's blue ones until his mouth opens into a tiny frown. Gumi takes the bag from him and IO gives a look to IA, as if he's noticed the emotion in the atmosphere of the room.

As Gumi leaves the room with the bags Len sends a glare at Rin. "What did you do?" He asks, scowling. Yuuma enters the room, a dry expression on his face. "Yuuma?" Len asks quietly. IA moves over to the pink haired boy, reaching for his hand, having noticed his expression.

"Why did you do that?" Yuuma asks, confused. Rin sets down the last bag, her eyes filled with defensive anger.

"We didn't know who she was, Yuuma. We looked you up too. Len was just saying yesterday how he was so sick of us not knowing each other, right?" She snaps.

"What?" Yuuma raises an eyebrow, shocked and almost slightly hurt.

"N-no, Rin…" Len sighs, "That's not what I meant!"

"Regardless, you had no right to-"

A very soft thud hits the floor above their room. Out of pure instinct, everyone silences nearly instantly. IA whimpers softly in agonizing anticipation. IO pulls an arm around her arm and his shaking eyes dart from Yuuma to Len simultaneously.

"It was probably just someone on the floor above us…" Len says softly as Miku's eyes brighten to a burning red, crimson and furious.

"Len." She turns to him, nearly shaking like a leaf, eyes so bright they might swallow her pupils. A loud and sharp ringing hisses through her ears with the sound of a blood curdling scream. Her fingers rip at Len's hand, gripping it with such a strength Len can't help but flinch, just barely. Her eyes shake and seem to throb with each passing second.

Without any warning IO's hands fly to his ears and he collapses to the floor, gasping for air. "_Make the sound go away!" _He nearly screams. IA gasps as the noise hits her and she too begins to quiver with terror, her eyes darting immediately to Len.

"Len-" Miku says in an absolutely terrified tone. "They're coming."

With that a large explosion rocks the building and flames burst from the ceiling above, heaps of plaster and pipes crashing to the floor with a noise like no other. Gumi watches from the parking lot bellow the hotel, fists clenching around the handle of Gumo. Her fingers move the lenses of her goggles over her eyes and a soft scoff escapes her smirking lips.

"Just what I needed."

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Master Yowane?"

"Yes?" Haku leans into her hand, propping herself up with her elbow over her desk, running the end of a pen through her coffee cup. Akaito enters her office, holding a letter in his hands, face stoic.

"You have received a letter from our… _sister _company."

"Lily?" Haku groans inwardly, tapping some keys on her computer and holding a perfectly manicured hand out for the message, bringing the cup to her lips and inhaling the cold and bitter liquid. Akaito steps forward.

"No, Master Yowane. This is a message from Master Hiyama."

Instantly all of Haku's features tense and she leans forward over the desk, her eyes flaming with an emotion Akaito has never seen before. On anyone. Regardless on a woman as composed as Haku Yowane.

"What is the reason for his message?" Haku demands coldly.

"It states it is in regards to the last prisoner in Demon Crow's possession. The Akuma with red hair."


	17. Crimson

**Hi guys! Just a warning, but this chapter is totally unedited, so please forgo any mistakes on my busy behalf!**

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* * *

_X~54~X_

"Are the other cars ready to go? Master Lily has be requested they be ready for immediate transport out with the least amount of problems possible."

"Yeah, I checked." The other watcher replies.

"_Well…_" A breathy female voice mocks in a sing-song tone behind the two. "… Maybe you should have checked _twice._" Before either of the watchers can turn around, the side of the long orange crowbar has connected with a painfully loud crack into the man on the left's head, sending him smashing into the other watcher, and sending them both chaotically smacking into the ground, unconscious were they lay.

Gumi hovers over their unconscious forms, a small grin spreading across her strikingly red lips. Systematically, she moves around to all of the Demon's Crow vans and smashes each and every tire, taking out each and every watcher in her way, until the last obstacle facing her _outside, _is the daunting task of entering the building where a great deal of smoke is seeping out of.

Sighing, Gumi presses herself against the side of the wall, crouching just out of sight of the Watchers in the lobby. Four armed with guns and-

"Bingo." Gumi whispers, snickering softly, smirking.

With a loud crash sounding much like a lightning strike and falling hail Gumo's blunt edge shatters the glass of the window and sends it hurling outwards as Gumi flips inwards, taking advantage of the blinding chaos.

Still in air, with her free hand, Gumi lifts up part of her shit to reveal six or more small pouches strapped all around her body. Tugging at a string on one, an assortment of homemade sparkler-fireworks come spilling out, hitting the glass on the floor and going off with dozens of individual pops and hisses, releasing even more gas into the air. The only noise is the sound of accidental gun fire over the jarring hiss of the fireworks and the sound of Gumi's boots hitting the glass.

As the smoke clears, only one figure is seen standing amidst the fog. Gumi pulls herself off of the bent and singed corpse of a watcher, pressing her foot to his lifeless chest, and pulling upwards with all her strength to attempt to dislodge Gumo out of the side of his profusely bleeding skull.

"Gross." Gumi mutters, wiping off some of the blood on her pants as she pulls a gas mask taken off of the same watcher over her mouth. The scent of smoke is still pungent but not as invasive as before.

"M-Mas-ter Li-ly…" A broken voice hisses out from bellow Gumi's feet.

"Eh?" She turns to find the source of the dying plea. The watcher, clearly female from appearance, soon disappears into the arms of death and Gumi can't help but grow a little giddy. "Oh Master _Lily!"_ Gumi chides, whistling as she twirls Gumo around her wrist and exits the lobby towards the elevator. "Come out and play! I hope you brought my _buddy. _Ms. Megurine was so much fun last time."

Gumi presses the elevator button with her thumb, genuinely surprised to find it still working. Voices shout from behind her, undoubtedly watchers. The purple haired man Gumi can't seem to remember is with this rather large group as well, screaming different commands hurriedly, seeming overjoyed at the prospect of protecting whatever twisted mission they're on.

"Boys-boys-", Gumi chuckles, bringing her crowbar over her head. "-don't you know? I'm on a _warpath." _

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

A heavily booted foot comes down sharply in front of Len's feet, causing him to jump backwards, pulling Miku closer into his side. Meiko stands smirking over them, the fluffy blonde haired girl and red haired boy close behind her.

Miku's fingers dig sharply into Len's side as she is nearly hysterical, sobbing. He can practically feel the heat of her burning crimson eyes on his side, but merely pulls her closer inwards as the ash swirling around them clears.

"Ah-Ah, don't be like that now." Meiko laughs, raising a pistol.

Miku yelps without having ever lifted her head out of Len's chest, terrified for some other reason. Len raises a hand out instinctively, glaring.

The sound of Rin screaming something seems an eternity away, the blurry sound of IA sobbing and Yuuma shouting hurriedly not far off. The pained grunts of watchers are there too, as well as the almost indistinguishable whine of a female voice, calling out to seemingly no one in particular. A loud creak of flaming plaster and wood echoes out from all around, and, visible through the now burned away doorway to the next room, an entire section of the floor gives way, falling who knows how far below.

"The day _will _be announced, demon child. We must apprehend you before the announcement so you can await your last days, however long they may be, in agony as the angels of Demon's Crow fight for the survival of our painted and oblivious humanity!" Meiko shrieks, cackling like a mad woman, cocking her gun.

"L-Len!" Miku is shaking. Not out of fear.

With a giant flash of light and a nearly earth-shattering whine erupting outwards, all external noise ceases to exist as Miku's body contorts violently on the floor, unable to hold onto Len any more.

Her head snaps backwards, whacking the floor with a deafening crack as her eyes roll into the back of her head, bursting with the most intense shade of red to ever streak the universe. Brighter than a star, yet darker than the depths of oblivion. Meiko nearly swallows her tongue, her own violently shaking fingers struggling for the trigger of the gun.

Immediately, whether it be out of fear or instinct, Meiko yet again caves into her own striking will for survival and nearly a dozen armed watchers swoop in to take her place, as the brown haired woman backs away slowly, looking like she's about to puke. Miku at this point is far from anything anyone's ever known, having been led to something burning brighter than the bleeding tears of the sunset.

"_OH god!" _Her voice is nearly inaudible over her own pained screaming.

A painful crack of silence hangs as she staggers to her feet, touching her hand instinctually to the top of her head, a trauma burned deep into her skin, never forgotten by the deepest depths of her subconscious. Then a voice rises. Not hers. Nor Len's. But the cry of something deep inside of her, a childlike tone, seemingly searching for words to repeat.

"_Okay._"

A bright white light bursts outwards from the center of Miku's chest, expanding like a bubble with a shimmering white lace until the entire smoldering wreckage of the room is engulfed in the silvery blaze.

The first to fall is the mace wielding girl with the puffy white-blonde hair. Her neck bends backwards and her hands fly to her neck, red liquid seeping outwards from her eye sockets. She buckles under her own weight and falls lifeless to the ground, her legs twitching with a last siege of energy as it rockets through her now cold body. Repeating the same pattern, everyone that had been engulfed in the raging invisible flames of the bubble suffers the same agonizing fate, even the blonde haired boy is not spared.

"G-gone…" Miku's words escape with what seems to her like the first exhaling breath of her entire existence as she collapses to the ground, her body falling across Len's.

The floor beneath the two, one dead, one in a death-like sleep, utters a loud groaning creak as the wood gives way. A hand flies outwards, clawing at the air like a pale and blood smudged talon. The fingers claw at the air until, barely, by maybe nothing less than a miracle, the hand grips around Len's wrist and the other to match flies for the girl, catching her just barely by her ankle.

Rin grunts loudly, shouting behind her as she attempts to pull both forms out of the caved in floor below them. The entire building creaks with the effort to stand it is desperately lacking from the explosion.

Yuuma bends, pulling Miku up as Rin gets Len. Just as the blonde haired girl pulls the blonde haired twin into her lap, his red eyes snap open and his body contorts as he sucks in air.

"Miku!" He shouts, lurching forward and nearly sending himself tumbling back down into the sink-hole mirroring floor of their hotel room.

Rin wraps her arms around Len's chest until he gets his bearings back.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Yuuma shouts over the chaos as a blue haired girl climbs out of a daunting pile of rubble besides the remains of a quite comfortable bed.

"H-here…" Lapis chokes out, gagging on the smoke. As she stands Len becomes aware of a large steadily bleeding gash on her left arm by her elbow. Her foot is slightly bent inwards and Oliver isn't far behind her, punching the _life _out of a watcher, unlucky enough to have been left behind during Miku's apparent slaughter of mystical proportions, but was lucky enough to have been outside of the bubble of instant death that had encompassed the others.

"Here!" Oliver shouts, rushing over to help Lapis.

"Here…" Len mutters, draping Miku over his back to carry.

Yuuma's eyes widen in horror. He simply mutters one word before taking off out of the room, running faster than he can ever remember. "Shit."

"Gumi." Rin gulps.

"I don't think that's who he was worried about…" Len trails off, the horror of his own discovery seeping in. "…W-where's IA and IO?"

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

The two children's footsteps tremble as the two pairs of bare feet smack against various burning heaps of rubble, some intact, some not. IA's hair swings like a curtain behind her, IO's hand gripping hers so tightly she might cry out in pain if she wasn't so grateful for his presence.

"Come on!" She shouts behind her. IO picks up his pace, sweat rolling off of his face as he continues to run. IA rounds another corner, the stairway door coming into view. Her eyes light up instantly. "Almost…"

With a surge of energy her hands push open the exit door and almost immediately a loud popping sound snaps through the air with a loud booming crack. As IA's body is thrown backwards by the force of the bullet, IO stands nearly frozen in place, watching in absolute and pure horror as her body flies into the ground, smearing it with a trail of blood and seeping into her beautiful white hair.

His hands begin to shake and he ceases breathing.

The next part, now, _the next part_ happens in nearly slow motion for the trembling demon eyed boy.

Before the woman perched in the doorway can even reload her heavy shotgun, IO has literally launched himself into the stairwell, crashing head first into her and sending the gun sprawling down the long twisting staircase.

The yellow haired woman beneath him curses loudly as IO's small, yet powerful fists crash into her face and body, flailing madly in his blind and consuming rage, slurring his words like a drunken man in a fist fight.

Lily cannot even move her hands in defense, the barrage of attacks from the surprisingly powerful little boy coming down on her like a hail storm of absolute hell fire. But this is what she has watchers for. Just as IO's thumb hits her nose with shattering consequences, a group of four watchers manage to pull the flailing boy away.

A piercing and nearly drowning high pitched buzz explodes through IO's ears as he's thrown backwards, back into the hallway and out of the stair well. Two watchers grab his arms and a third sends bullets into IO's legs and arms. He writhers in agony as the shells of the shotgun explode in his limbs and blood trickles out of his mouth.

Lily violently throws the third watcher away from IO, holding the gun herself and sending round after round smashing into the boy's chest, not even waiting for him to resurrect before emptying another bullet into his body, still lifeless.

The gun clicks.

"_Someone get me some more bullets, damn it!" _

"_Alrighty!" _A female voice chirps, emerging in the hallway in front of the three watchers and Lily. Gumi throws four empty case shells forward, and, with a blinding flash of light from a flash bomb (courtesy of Gakupo), sends Lily sprawling backwards for cover into the stairwell behind the door. Lily is still clutching her bleeding and broken nose.

Before Gumi can make a move on any of the watchers, gun shots from behind her take all three out with incredible skill. Gumi turns her head slightly to see a flash of pink hair hidden under a blank beanie hat behind her. Yuuma sucks in air with a shuddering breath of fear as his eyes find IO's body.

IA, who had been pretending to still be dead on the floor, launches herself forwards, sobbing uncontrollably as she collapses on top of IO's mangled body.

She pulls him into her chest, sobbing into his blood soaked hair. Just then Len and the last of the group come sprinting down the hallway as Yuuma turns his attention to Gumi, who, much to his dismay, is not wearing a shirt anymore.

Wrapped around her back and stomach are small dirtied pouches no bigger than a cellphone clipped around her body, secured with leather buckles and white bandages tied around her skin like an injured warrior. These pouches and layer of (once) white cloth are splattered with blood and ash. A gasmask with a shattered right lens hangs around her neck and the left leg of her black jeans ripped off and wrapped around a steadily bleeding cut on her right shoulder. Her face is smeared with blood and ash, her crowbar seemingly painted red to begin with. All of her knuckles are busted and bleeding and she will undoubtable bear a black eye tomorrow, this is even obvious through her goggles, still intact.

"Let's go." She states simply, rushing forward, past the sobbing little girl, soaked in blood, into the stairwell, sending Gumo crashing into the door, which, in turn, smashes into Lily's already broken nose. "_Hurry!" _Gumi screeches, pinning the yellow haired woman against the wall.

Yuuma bends, throwing IO over his shoulder and gripping IA tightly by the hand, rushing down the stairs with everyone else at his heels.

Gumi nods to Rin and the green haired girl rushes off after the group while Rin stays behind, surging forward and gripping Lily by the collar of her now blood splattered lab coat.

The furious blonde throws Lily out into the hallway as the woman screams something in a tongue unknown to Rin's ears.

"_Daiben demon ugla kaitem huskaitden!" _

Rin holds up her middle finger. "Screw you too, honey." She slams the door behind her, and bolts down the stairs, not daring to look back, out of fear of what she might to do Lily if left alone in a room with her.

Rin bursts into the glaring sunlight of the late afternoon, her feet slushing in the melting snow filled with dirt and shards of glass.

In front of her is a red minivan with a smashed out driver's side window. Sitting behind the wheel is Gumi.

"Next stop, the hell away from here!" Gumi screams as Len throws open the backdoor and Rin piles in, leaving the smoldering building off in the far distance.

As they pull away, Len glances down at Miku's head, resting in his lap, bumping slightly as the car speeds over rocks in the asphalt. The only thing he can think as he strokes the side of her sweaty, sleeping face is how tired she looks, even in her sleep.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

Lying sprawled out on the grass near the group's latest "home", is Gumi, her arm covering her eyes as Yuuma wraps the deep gash in her arm with bandages, freshly stolen. He looks down at her dirt smudged and blood splattered face with nothing less than concern.

"Are you gonna' be okay, Gumi?" He asks as she pulls her arm away, raising an eyebrow.

"Whad'ya mean?" She asks blandly, staring up at the stars above her.

"Today. It seems like it was… especially cruel to you."

"I'm used to that." She replies as Yuuma finishes and cuts off the extra end of the gauze.

"I know. I just think that no one has cared for a long time." Gumi chuckles dryly.

"I don't need anyone too."

"I know."

Gumi laughs again, punching Yuuma roughly in the shoulder, as she walks away she mutters gently, just so he can hear. "But thanks anyways."

Gumi sits herself across from Len, who is leaning against an exceptionally large boulder, nearly cradling Miku in his lap, her head lying across his arm, his other hand running through her hair occasionally. No one really knows what happened, and no one even really cares at this point. It just isn't important right now.

Next to Len is IO, leaning against the opposite side of the rock, IA buried deep into his side, her hands squeezing roughly around his side, her palm pressed into his chest where the multiple bullets had blasted a gapping crevice-like indent in his skin. His head is leaning against hers, her eyes entirely concealed by her hair. She reaches up for IO, and whispers something nearly silently.

IO brings his head down by her ear and whispers a reply. IA tenses, then relaxes, curling deeper into IO's side, allowing her hair to fall away from her eyes like a curtain away from a window. She shudders with the cold and speaks to Len, without even looking up or moving.

"Lenny… I'm cold…" She says softly.

"I know, sweetie. We can't light a fire, though."

"Oh." Len glances around the side of the rock at her and gives her a tiny smile before looking at IO.

"But IO will keep you warm, I'm sure." IO's eyes light up and he takes Len's comment as an excuse to pull IA closer to him. He realizes suddenly that everyone is watching them together and his face turns a bright shade of red, almost as brilliant as his eyes. He moves to pull away suddenly, but IA doesn't let him.

Rin feels a hand touch her upper back, and at first recoils at the sudden contact, but then allows herself to sink into Oliver's arm, too exhausted to care if anyone is looking. The blonde girl glances at Lapis on the other side of Gumi.

"Hey, Lapis?"

"Mm?" The blue haired girl looks at her tiredly.

"Lily said something to me in a different language, I think. It sounded like…" Rin tries to think of how exactly to say it, which isn't too hard, the words seared into her mind like a bad scar. "…' Daiben demon ugla kaitem huskaitden'."

Lapis cringes at the words, touching the gem in her necklace tentatively. "Yes. I know what that means. When I was very little, back when my mother was still alive, I remember she said that to me one night before I went to bed."

"So, what does it mean?"

Lapis gulps, her face only illuminated by the pale light of the moon streaming through the thick treetops.

"'God awaits the forsaken for judgment'."

* * *

**PS: CHECK YOUR ESCAPE VEHICLES TWICE.  
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_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	18. Like A Bullet From A Gun

_X~55~X_

Miku's eyes snap open and with a loud gasp she jolts upwards, snapping awake violently, panting and sweating. Immediately she becomes aware of a hand pressed against her forehead and the other wrapped across her stomach, holding her in someone's lap. Staring down at her is Len's face obscured by blonde hair and smudges of dirt on his cheeks. His mouth is slightly open and he smiles the moment Miku recognizes him.

However she can't seem to get her breathing under control and as she hyperventilates, Len gently strokes the side of her face to calm her, muttering, "Shh, shh, you're good."

After a moment Miku forces herself to calm and she curls into his side, trying not to choke on her tears she struggling to hold back. "I-I-I all those people!" She whimpers quietly as a frigid night wind rocks the two. "…they died!"

Len brings his arms to her back and holds her like a child, pressing his forehead to hers and shaking his head, still smiling. "You're okay…" He mutters as Miku gasps.

"Oh no… Len you were… you were in the light… did I…? O-oh god…" Miku snaps upwards and wriggles out of Len's lap, pressing herself against the back of the boulder, facing him, her hands cupped over her mouth. Her eyes swim with absolute horror.

Len looks at her in surprise at her reaction. Leaning forward on all fours he gently grabs her by the wrists and holds her palms out over the ground, pressing his hand in them and with his other hand shaking her wrists a little bit.

"I'm fine, Miku. Hey- hey, look at me." His voice dips, saddening at Miku's facial expression and the tears forming in her eyes. "I'm fine. I came back. I always do. I always come back." Len gives her a weak smile and Miku shudders.

"I-I-I killed… you…" As if the words pain her, Miku wretches horribly.

"Hey- no." Len grips her stronger. "I'm fine. I'm here, I'm alive, so please don't cry." He looks up from her dirty palms and smiles again, each moment he sees her eyes, feeling his heart drop into his stomach. Miku looks crushed by the sadness in Len's eyes. "Please." Len's voice cracks and he grips Miku's hands a little tighter.

"H-how do I…? H-how do I-?" Len's expression yet again stops her. His eyes are deep and sad, but also relieved and happy. Miku is confused. _How could she have done that to him? And how does he look at me like this? How do I make this better? _She wants to sob. She just wants to sob but he's stopping her with this unreadable expression. She wants to scream too. And sob. There's another feeling too and she can't put a finger on it. It feels squeamish and uncomfortable inside her every time her eyes connect with the blonde boy's.

"You're okay, Miku." He shakes her wrists gently and smiles warmly at her face as tears well up in her eyes.

"How come I feel like this then?" She shrieks, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. Instantly Len wraps his arms around her back, rocking her gently to one side and pushing her deeper into him.

"Because you're strong enough to recognize true pain and handle it."

"I'm not like you… or Rin… or Gumi…" She sniffles. "…what I did to them… feels so _bad._"

Len chuckles gently. "That's because you're still un-broken. The world hasn't ruined you yet. You're still you."

"I hate this feeling." Miku mutters after a moment.

"Good. That's how you know you haven't lost it yet." Len says in a calming deadpan.

"… That doesn't make any sense to me." Miku admits after a moment of thinking.

Len laughs. "I'm starting to sound like Gumi." Miku nods on his shoulder, feeling herself become tired again suddenly.

"Where am I?" She asks softly.

"'Dunno really. Somewhere outside of the city, a little trailer park town. Yuuma found it. Rin stole us a camper, but I didn't want to move you in your sleep after… what happened. We were still really worried. I still am really worried." Len pulls her away, looking at her tear smudged face. "What happened to you?"

Miku shakes her head no and her shoulders sag. "I don't know." She admits, embarrassed. Len pulls her back into him, relaxing at the moistness on his shoulder from her tears. He can't stop her from crying, but he can stop her from crying alone. At least that's something.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Look at those two." Gumi laughs, throwing her arm over towards the boulder where Len and Miku are. Yuuma chuckles, pulling a potato chip out of the bag and handing it over, shifting on his position on the roof of the group's luxury camper-r.v.- thing.

"Is it really okay to be spying on them like this?" Yuuma asks, slightly guilty.

Gumi laughs loudly, biting down harshly on a chip and shifting as well. "What you call '_spying' _I call _duty. _They _asked _me to come on watch while they went back into the city for supplies and some new clothes, I assume this means _watch." _

"Revenge, huh?" Gumi elbows Yuuma sharply in the arm.

"Shut up, Bubblegum head." Yuuma blushes, pulling at a strand of his soft pink hair nervously. After a moment Gumi chuckles again, Gumo thudding heavily against the roof of the van. "Besides, they totally deserve it. You said so yourself." Gumi smirks at him.

"Uh… I believe what I said was along the lines of 'you have every right to be angry' not 'spy on a clearly private-ish moment between Len, who had nothing to do with that, and Miku, who had a freaking seizure or whatever _that _was and took out a whole room of Watchers in under thirty seconds'."

Gumi scoffs, throwing the chip back in his face. "Same to me." Eventually Len and Miku move back to their hidden position against the large boulder, leaving Yuuma and Gumi with nothing to watch or entertain them.

Suddenly, Gumi finds her hands tapping a light but fast and chaotic sounding rhythm on the hood of the van, her head bobbing slightly. It carries on for a few minutes, entrancing Yuuma with a type of… thing he'd never seen before. With each passing second her thumping became more chaotic, more spastic, but more intoxicating, as if this passing rhythm that sounded like something out of a death-metal/classical rock concert was screaming like a sentient being out of Gumi's dirt and blood encrusted finger tips.

Just then, as it seems her rhythm would swell and explode to him, a flock of birds racing off of trees in the not too far distance startles her immensely, jolting her out of a very deep trance. She jumps nearly three feet in the air, and, sitting as close to the edge of the van as she was, she slides off the top like butter off of a knife and Yuuma instinctually throws out his hand to her, which she grabs, sending them both falling on the ground.

"Ah…shit… that hurt." Yuuma says, pushing himself off of the ground. As he opens his eyes he realizes he's not on the ground, but on top of Gumi, her arms basically pinned under his. She also seems to notice this and her eyes have shrunk slightly in her pupils, panic from similar past situations straining her immensely. Yuuma turns as pink as his hair and begins to apologize profusely when Gumi cuts him off in a gravely unsteady and harsh, croaking like tone.

"…Yuuma..." She gulps out, "I'm going to need you to get off of me, or I _will _sock you so hard in the neck you won't breathe right for a month." She hisses. Immediately Yuuma tugs himself off of her and watches her stand, ignoring his outstretched hand he had offered her.

Her eyes test him with a rabid kind of unreadable and quite petrifying glare.

"S-sorry." He mutters, unable to look away from her eyes. "… Guess that must have brought up some bad… memories."

"I knew what you meant without you saying that." She cringes under his expression, not visibly, of course.

"R-right. Sorry… for that too."

"What is up with you right now?" Gumi steps closer, looking at him, toe to toe. "You look like you're going to barf on me."

"…W-when are Rin and Lapis and Oliver going to be back with IA and IO?" He quickly tries to change the subject, his voice cracking and squeaking pathetically. Gumi laughs, putting a hand on his chest.

"Later. Jesus Freaking Christ do you have cardiac problems or something?" Gumi laughs at him again, throwing a piece of hair out of her face with a flick of her head, eyes poking him restlessly. "God Yuuma, what the hell. I told you it was fine, no reason to get his flipped out over it."

"N-no I just…don't want to remind you of that or anything… like that… I just…" Yuuma stutters, feeling terrible, remembering that haunting expression of panic and pain in her eyes that was only there, just for a moment. It makes him want to puke that he brought her back there, to the stuff of her terribly graphic night terrors.

"I told you, its fine. That was reflex, you can't blame me for reacting like that. I'd do that with absolutely anyone. It's not you and has nothing to do with you, that part of me, that's all old stuff just lingering behind, like the scars. Besides, you, of all people, could possibly freak me out the least in that situation." Gumi flicks him in the chest.

"W-wait what?"

"Does that bother you? Or would you like me to flip the hell out if you touch me at all?"

"N-no!" He responds to loudly and too quickly. Gumi laughs, nervously now, to try and break the tension simply and nothing more. Gumi raises an eyebrow, shifting uncomfortably. Really uncomfortably.

"…Are you okay? Really… it's not a big deal. Are you okay?" She asks seriously, grilling him with her amber colored eyes.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Yuuma gulps, smiling at Gumi. He can't figure out why he's so nervous. She said it was fine, but he can't help but feel slightly terrible still.

"…O-kay… then I guess this will be no big deal."

"What-" Gumi cuts him off with her lips pressed against his. Yuuma feels like he's going to scream. Or explode. Then the reality of what's happening hits him and his hands fly upwards, tangling and griping around Gumi's waist as she leans further into him, pressing his back flat against the side of the van before drawing away for a moment. Her eyes burn into his and before he can even think he has drawn her back in, intertwining with each other like wires coiling together. Yuuma is shocked. Gumi's touch is surprisingly gentle. Everything about her is shockingly gentle and somehow this makes it all the more breathtaking as he comes to the shocking realization while still locked in a kiss with her, that, these hands tangled in his hair and under his hat, had killed so many times. This continues on for a moment, minutes. Yuuma doesn't know. All he knows is her taste and her fingers in his hair. Suddenly she pulls away. Her breath is shallow and nonexistent as she stands frozen, still pushed up against him, her hands still on the back of his head, his arms still around her waist.

"No big deal, right?" She smirks.

"A-are you kidding? Y-you're kidding right?" Yuuma's face flushes a deathly pale. Gumi breaks away from him and enters the RV, waving her hand over her head dismissively.

"I dunno'." She calls back at him. "I've never done that before. Honestly, I don't think my mind has caught up to the present yet." She twirls her finger around her hear in the classical "crazy" motion. "It's all just like a freaking hurricane in here." She says before slamming the door, leaving Yuuma staggering like a ghost outside of the RV.

After a moment he gulps and shrugs his shoulders backwards, shaking his head. "Okay… that just happened." He mutters to himself, not even bothering to fix his beanie now lopsided on his bubblegum colored hair.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"So, where to now?" Rin offers, leaning forwards on her elbows across the table in the RV. It's built into the wall and collapses upwards, almost like a long shelf. Lapis sits next to her, sorting through a tool box and emergency kit she found in the back bedroom. Len sighs, pressing his thumb to his temple as he stares out the window. He is sitting across from Rin, tapping his fingers steadily against the table-shelf.

"I think we'd be best off in a big city. Lots of people, easy to shoplift, etcetera." Rin grins, leaning over the table and punching Len in the shoulder.

"Ah… back to the old days with just you and me, huh? Feeling nostalgic, Lenny?" She coos, mocking him with a grotesque smirk on her dirt smudged face. Len frowns at her as she leans back. "Somewhere with a shower, please." She flicks a crumb off the table top dismissively.

Gumi enters the room from the back bedroom, holding her crowbar over her shoulder. She takes a quick glance around the room. IA and IO and curled up together on their couch-window seat thing under the main window. They're both bent over a deck of cards, trying to figure out how to play Go-Fish, Miku watching from behind IA. Oliver sits behind Rin at the table, with Len across from her and Lapis beside her. A pink mop bobs in the driver's seat and turns to glance at whoever came out of the bedroom.

His eyes widen at Gumi and he leaps to his feet, grabbing her by the wrist suddenly and pulling her outside, shutting the door behind him. Rin whistles once their gone and Oliver mutters, "what's their problem?" while Rin swats him on the shoulder for breathing on her neck.

Gumi staggers for a moment before regaining her balance. "Dude, what the hell?"

Yuuma looks incredibly nervous. "…Last night, were you just messing with me?" Gumi chuckles.

"What?" She drones, looking incredibly irritated with Yuuma.

"Were you just kidding when you… did that?" His face flushes pale, then bright pink. Gumi sighs, stepping forward swiftly and making him press his back into the side of the RV again. He looks confused, like a first time baby sitter that doesn't know what to do with a wailing child.

"Depends."

"...On?" Yuuma forces himself to breathe slowly.

"If you ever want me to do it again. You can write it off as a joke or-", she pauses. "I don't care either way."

Even with his short time with Gumi, Yuuma had come to understand more about her than anyone else had ever cared to. So, as she stands here with his ultimatum, Yuuma gulps slightly, mouth gapping open. She was lying.

"You're a crappy liar." He mutters, clasping his hands around her neck as he draws her in and bends down to kiss her with her oddly gentle touch and warm and frail feeling body, pressed against his as if trying to leech away his warmth.

"Guys?" As Rin flings open the door to the RV, Gumi snaps back with such force, she sends Yuuma's head slamming into the side of the car. She jumps back almost instantly, annoyed and shooting Rin a glare for just being there. Yuuma groans in pain, holding the back of his head where a huge lump is already starting to form. Rin has a blank expression on her face, having not the faintest clue what's happening. "R-ight. We're going soon."

"Yeah. Thanks." Gumi waves her off. Rin gives her one more sideways glance before nodding and closing the door to the van behind her.

Gumi sighs, turning and looking at Yuuma. She chuckles. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine, Gumi. Sorry I grabbed your wrist." Her face goes deathly pale.

"Right…" She looks away.

"Sorry… I noticed it bothered you. I should really stop grabbing you… S-sorry… really." Gumi frowns at him, quickly recovering.

"Stop apologizing, you just make it worse." Yuuma opens his mouth and Gumi cuts him off quickly. "Don't say sorry."

The sound of leaves rustling from the grove of trees behind them halts the two completely. Before Yuuma can say anything Gumi inches her foot under the bend in Gumo and kicks it upwards, catching it in air with a tiny thud as she grasps it tightly against her palm. She holds out her hand behind her in a "stop" motion, and thuds the side of the RV lightly with Gumo. The small buzz of the chatter inside instantly stops as Gumi thuds three more times. Gumi and Len had talked it over last night as a signal when she was on watch.

Yuuma gives her a look as a form emerges from the trees directly in front of them. Yuuma's mouth falls open and he holds his breath with one shuddering gasp as a bobbing head of hot pink hair comes staggering out of the leaves.

In a white uniform with a black pistol in clasped in both hands is Teto, eyes full of tears, arms shaking. Yuuma tenses instantly and Gumi raises one finger, flicking her goggles down over her eyes without a second's thought. Teto has been crying. Her uniform is splattered with dried blood and dirt, her limbs practically shaking with each step.

"…S-so… this is what I find, huh?" She croaks out, voice cracking as she emerges into the clearing. "I volunteered to follow you… trail you out as a spy after the thing at the hotel… I-I wanted to find out how you could do this… How you could just… _betray _me, Mom, Dad, how could you betray us like this for the spawn of Satan himself? How, Yuuma? How?!" Her voice rises, practically screaming.

"Teto-", Yuuma's voice is full of sadness. Gumi refuses to look behind herself at him.

"No!" She causes him to jump as she screams. "…SeeU, Ted, those watchers _they _killed, they were _good _people, Yuuma. They're just people! And they died!" She sobs, eyes shaking with fury. "They are _demons _and-", she looks straight at Gumi. "_, murderers." _

"Teto-"

"Stop it! I couldn't f-figure it out…" Her voice dips, becoming gaunt and slow and full of absolute agony and deep unrelenting sadness. "…I couldn't figure out why on God's _Earth _you would betray us all for _this." _Teto chuckles. Her eyes suddenly become dark and angry. "Now I know."

The sound of wind is empty against the screaming silence between the three in the clearing.

"... Because of her?" Teto's voice cracks as she casts her eyes to Gumi. Gumi can't help but blurting out in laughter.

"L-look, I'm sorry can-can we back this up a sec?" Gumi asks between chuckles.

"You betrayed your people, you betrayed _humanity _because of a _girl? _Yuuma, she's a _killer _a mass _murderer!" _Teto nearly screams, fingers tightening around the gun. "I am so _mad _at you, Yuuma! Mom, Dad, _me! _You _left us!" _

"Teto!" Yuuma shouts over her. "I didn't _leave _anybody. This 'Romeo and Juliet' crap you have in your head, I didn't even _know _Gumi existed until I left! Please, can you just put down the gun?" His voice pleads, milky with regret.

Teto laughs at him, tears bursting out of her eyes and dripping down her cheeks like rain.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd like that. I'm going to end this. I'm going to end what you started. For no one else, but _me." _

"Teto-"

The loud snap of a gunshot booms throughout the air like a bomb as a bullet comes whizzing form her gun towards Yuuma, his eyes wide and full of panic and a deep, deep sorrow. The moments next for him pass like an eternity, the bullet getting so close, his sister hysterical with sobs. _Funny, _He thinks. _She was always the strongest one in the family. _The only thing he can manage to make himself think is how much he deserves this. He's caused everyone so much pain.

And in this moment, he is ready. He is content and he is ready. As he closes his eyes for the last time, only one thought can go through his mind. The way Gumi ran her fingers through his hair only moments ago.

A loud grunt of pain snaps him out of his trance as his front is splattered with blood. IA's voice shrieks from somewhere inside the RV. Yuuma's arms shoot outwards as Gumi falls into his arms, her side seeping with blood. Her eyes loll back for a moment.

"God damn…" She hisses out as she drops like a weight in Yuuma's arms, eyes fluttering closed through her goggles.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Master Yowane. It's been an honor to host you as a humble guest to our lovely… facility." A tall and very, very strong looking man with thick and broad shoulders declares, a thin smile on his face. Not a grin, nor a smirk, but a smile.

Haku cringes. Internally, cringes, that is.

"Yes. I understand you have the only Demon Child in possession of Demon's Crow currently, is this correct?" She asks.

"Yes. That is correct. What about you, Haku? What about _your _Demon Child?"

Haku feels like she wants to throw up, like someone has reached a clawed hand down her throat and ripped out her lungs. "Escaped, Master Hiyama." She replies in a deadpan tone.

"Such a shame." He claps a hand on her shoulder as he walks past her, sending chills like no other rocketing up Haku's spine. Rage seeps through her like venom as well as an emotion similar to fear. He turns to face her, his bland yet sharp brown eyes peering at her through his square rimmed glasses with a look of playful hate. "Don't worry, _Haku." _His voice drips like sap. "I'm not _that _low."

* * *

**Sorry this update took so long, I'm pretty sick (again) -_-, so I wanted to get it out to you guys at today, the latest.  
**

**I'm not going to say much about this chapter but two things: **

**1. I know, I'm out of my depth with this romance writing, again, but I'd been planning this for a while and thought it was time. **

**2. Hint towards Hiyama and Haku's conversation: Analise, everything. **

**That's all I'm going to say! Favorite chapter pole next time, I promise! Hopefully everyone has found this new story address okay, All The Fragile Ones, Prt I was getting a little too long and I was confusing myself big time. Hope you like the new covers too! **

**Until next time-!**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_


	19. Slipping Away

**I'm not THAT mean. I wouldn't make you guys wait that long for the next chapter again, especially at my cliff hangers. ^^**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews from, **

**`pseudoCalibrator**

**`The Shameless Carrot -Zhane17**

**`Black White and Superstitious **

**`Saints-Fan-12**

**`iDontCare**

**`Awesome D.T**

**`(even though your review was for a much earlier chapter) Allagenda-chan**

**Enjoy the YuuMi~! :3  
By the way, is my romance writing still sucky? 0_0 I hope not... That would suck. -_-'  
**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~56~X_

"GUMI!" Someone shouts from inside the RV as the door flings open with contact from Rin's boot. Bullets immediately start flying out at Teto, who collapses behind the boulder for protection.

Inside of the van Miku cowers on the floor under the window, shaking and hyperventilating. Oliver and Lapis file out after Rin, Lapis armed with a tire-iron and a pack of fireworks, Oliver with a hammer. Len stops just seconds before going out, IA's hand gripping his shirt, her face contorted into fierce and brutal anger, harsh, especially for a child. IO hovers behind her, her even closer following shadow.

"Lenny." IA points towards Miku with her eyes. Len bends down to IA's level, cocking his gun.

"Go in the back bedroom, lock the door. We'll come get you, stay away from windows." Len puts a hand on IA's head and IO frowns from behind her, glaring daggers at him.

IA nods and grabs IO by the wrist, pulling him into the back room and leaving the door open, just a crack for Miku. Len realizes Miku is hyperventilating on the floor, refusing to move. He bends down and puts a hand on her back. "Miku. Go with IA and IO." He says gently.

"W-what if it happens again?" She croaks, eyes filled with panic.

"You'll be fine. It's not going to happen again, and if it is, I'll come get you. I promise, Miku." With that he rushes out of the van, firing cover shots.

Rin rushes forward with Oliver to take care of Teto, and as soon as Len gets outside his eyes fall immediately on Yuuma, collapsed to the ground on his knees, a blood covered form in his arms. His eyes are wide, his pupils practically the size of pin pricks, his face drips with sweat and he can't even breathe.

Yuuma screams.

"Lapis!" Len shouts for the blue haired girl. She rushes over and darts into the RV coming out less than a second later with a white first-aid kit. She turns to Len.

"Go get _her." _Lapis gestures to the rock. Len nods and darts off as Lapis collapses next to Yuuma on the ground. "Yuuma, put her down." Yuuma is completely unresponsive. "Yuuma!" Lapis shakes him. "I can't help her if you don't put her down!" Still nothing. "Yuuma!" Lapis takes it upon herself to pull Gumi from his arms and lie her down on the grass. Yuuma stares at his bloody hands as if he's never had any before.

Lapis tugs Gumi's shirt up slightly, revealing, on the lower right side of her stomach, just above her hip, a small abscess in her side. Lapis sighs briefly. "It grazed her." She looks over Yuuma's still statue-still head. A small bullet hole is in the side of the RV. "Your sister is a terrible shot." Lapis mutters, popping open the first aid kit. Gumi groans a guttural noise like an animal and blinks for a long moment, her eyes snap open and her head contorts. Lapis gasps in surprise.

"How are you still conscious?" Lapis stutters, watching as Gumi's eyes travel downwards to her own injury. She groans, squinting her eyes closed. She mutters an obscenity bitterly, lifting her arms so Lapis can get a better look.

Yuuma's head snaps to look at Gumi the second she speaks. After what seems like an eternity, he breathes. Gumi's eyes snap and clench closed for a second and she begins to sweat a little bit, her breath ragged. "…L-lapis." She puffs. "…It was a… g-graze wound. G-get a… a…" She gulps and inhales sharply. "…a gauze pad…" Her voice croaks. "…p-peroxide… antibiotics… fill the syringe with… six…" She pants heavily.

"What about pain meds?" Lapis gasps, surprised. Gumi shakes her head no.

"Lapis- I'm gonna' bleed out…" She pants.

"R-right." Lapis presses a large section of gauze pad against Gumi's side and Gumi winces, yelping out in pain for a second, then biting her lip.

"…Y-you h-have t-to move me… before I p-pass out…" Gumi pants, wincing in terrible pain.

"R-right…" Lapis turns to Yuuma while reaching for more gauze. "Y-Yuuma! Please I need you to help me move her!" Yuuma still sits frozen, entirely petrified, staring off into space. "Gumi-" Lapis pants, "he won't even move!"

"Yuuma!" Gumi shouts, causing pain to rocket up through her body like a fire. His head moves ever so slightly towards her. "Pick me up… right now!" Her voice barks despite her immense pain. "Yuuma!" She shouts, her voice croaks as Lapis presses deeper and her bleeding finally slows.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Yuuma sits up and pulls his arms around Gumi's upper back, under her shoulders. Her voice gasps like a tiny shriek suddenly and she clenches her jaw shut, forcing herself to calm down as Yuuma's fingers graze the scars on her back. Lapis reaches around Gumi's ankles and the two manage to pull her in the RV and lay her across the table top. IA stirs from inside the back room and darts out, slamming into Yuuma's legs. She shouts his name and Yuuma stares out into nothingness.

Lapis pulls Gumi's blood soaked and tattered shirt off and tosses it to the floor, pressing the gauze in deeper. "IO, go get me more towels, Miku, pour this over the wound!" Lapis shouts, thrusting a bottle of peroxide into Miku's shaking hands.

Yuuma's breathing, if it hadn't been at a complete standstill before, halts all together looking at the complete canvas of Gumi's injuries unmarred by her clothing, past, and the new, gushing and bloody, that _he _caused.

"Gumi…" He whispers softly, everything about him shaking. Her eyes, still clenched as tight as possible drift upwards to him upon opening and she bites her own lip until the point where she draws blood as peroxide pours all over her wound, stinging and burning in absolute agony. She writhers, then, unable to hold it back anymore, yelps out loud, whimpering as she bites her own hand to stop from screaming.

Suddenly Rin, Len, and Oliver come rushing in, slamming the door behind them, Len crawling up into the driver's side. Oliver gasps.

"Jesus!" Rin shouts, tossing a map over Len's head and into his lap as the car begins to speed away. Gumi practically screams as the car hits a bump in the road and the sting of antibiotics being injected into her wound burns even more.

"Lapis, is Yuuma okay?" Oliver asks, looking at the frozen pink haired boy with gradually growing concern.

"I-I think he's in shock." She stutters. Seconds after, Gumi's eyes flit closed and she passes out from pain. Yuuma's eyes instantly widen and he lurches, grabbing her hand and squeezing it until his knuckles practically turn white.

"G-Gumi." He stutters, panicking.

"She's just unconscious." Rin assures him in her gruff and slightly forceful tone. Yuuma seems to not hear her and simply stands still, gripping Gumi's hand and staring off into nowhere.

"God. What happened?" Lapis mutters softly, looking at Rin while still bandaging Gumi around her scars and her newest wound.

"It was Yuuma's sister." Rin explains.

"Did you…?"

"No, of course we didn't." Rin throws her hands above her head, exasperated. "We tied her to a tree and ripped off her tracker. Len smashed it and we took her guns and money." Rin sets down three pistols, the black one she used to shoot Gumi, and two smaller silver pistols with a box of bullets.

"We should get her into the back bedroom." Lapis says, putting her hands to her forehead and sighing deeply, feeling her own sweat against her forehead. Rin nods and she and Oliver pull at Gumi, eventually carrying her into the back bedroom and draping her across the queen sized mattress that folds out of the wall. Yuuma follows like a ghost and stands hovering over the bed as if nothing else is there to him.

"Yuuma?" Rin gives him a questioning look and waves her hand in front of his face. No response. "Maybe you should lie down…" Rin trails off, putting a hand on his shoulder as the van hits a bump in the road. Yuuma suddenly snaps out of his trance and glances at Rin like he was only just realizing she was there.

"R-Right." He stutters crawling over to the opposite side as Gumi. Rin gives him one more bizarre look before closing the small narrow door.

Yuuma reaches a shaking hand out and rests it on top of Gumi's arm, gripping her gently and listening to her ragged breaths. He can feel a lump rising in his throat and his eyes growing heavy and tickling with the pinch of tears. He can't seem to breathe anymore. His head is pounding with Teto's words and his mind flickering, reliving the same moment over and over again as she sped in front of his body. He was ready for death. She was _embraced_ death. She smiled.

As she jumped in front of him, he saw it. She smiled. As a bullet rammed into her stomach and blew a hole in her skin, she _smiled. _He cried. _Is _crying.

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

About five hours later, holed up somewhere just outside of a large city, Len nudges Rin from where he sits in the parked RV. Oliver and Lapis took Miku, IA, and IO to the bathrooms inside of the gas station, leaving the two twins sitting side by side on the bench under the window of the car. Rin glances at him.

"What?" She mutters, placing a strand of licorice between her teeth.

"…So, Oliver?" Len gives her a coy smile and she elbows him in the stomach.

"Shut up!" She grumbles at him. "What do you really want to talk about, because I _highly _doubt it has anything to do with my love life, Len." He sticks out his tongue at the thought and Rin smirks. "Spit it out…"

"I had a dream about Mom and Dad last night." Rin's face goes pale.

"Oh." Rin shifts on the bench, setting the bag of licorice beside her and looking up at Len, a small expression of unreadable paleness on her face as she looks up at him. Len stares at the floor in front of them, just under the table, where there's a small stain of Gumi's blood. That was bound to happen sooner or later, no matter the circumstances.

"It was you and me, both sitting on Dad's lap and Mom was sitting across the room watching us. Dad was crying and so were you. Then we were back in their room, at our old house, the one on Yule Street, and it was the day where…" Len's voice drops off. Rin scoots closer, putting her head on his arm. Len leans into her slightly.

"Remember that one time when you were six and you fell of your bike and broke your ankle, so I killed you with the spokes?" Rin laughs. Len flicks her in the temple.

Grumbling, he replies, "That actually hurt, like a lot more than the broken ankle."

"Yeah… I wasn't the efficient killing machine then as I am today. It also didn't help you wouldn't stop wailing." They both laugh. "We used to kill each other all the time." Rin laughs, ", just because we _could._"

"We were really stupid." Len sighs. "We don't talk about stuff like we used to. I kinda' miss that."

"Well, it's not just us anymore." Rin says, folding her legs under her and sitting cross legged, handing him over a licorice vine. She looks up at him, giving him her best creepy stare. She begins laughing. Len shakes his head. "So… Miku?" Rin raises one eye brow and Len's face flushes pink. Rin punches him in the side, laughing. "I'm just kidding… or am I?" She wiggles her eye brows and Len tugs her bow out of her hair.

Instantly a blanket of feathery, dirty golden hair drops over her eyes and she begins swatting at Len like he's a bee. She forces him onto his back, splayed out on the floor, her trying to crawl on top of him to grab her ribbon. "Len!" She shrieks, reaching madly. He puts his foot up and smacks her in the forehead with it, forcing her to stop moving. She flails angrily, cussing at him at the top of her lungs.

The door to the van opens and Oliver walks in holding armfuls of food and snacks. He turns pale as Rin and Len become visible on the floor. Rin's face turns a scalding shade of red. Len starts to crack up, laughing his head off to the point where he's rolling on the floor. Rin takes this opportunity to jump on top of him and rip the ribbon from his hands, cheering madly.

"A-a-alright then…" Oliver walks in and dumps the food down on the table. As Lapis comes in and shuts the door behind her.

IA crawls on top of one of the chairs around the table and picks out a bag of pretzels, which she hands down to IO. Oliver hands her a Styrofoam box with steaming Chinese food inside and tosses her two packs of plastic utensils. She scrambles off of the chair and over to the bench and IO sits shoulder to shoulder with her as she pops open the box. IA and IO both eat out of the same container, talking softly to each other at the same time.

Oliver and Rin sit next to each other with Lapis across and Miku and Len on the bench, all eating and talking about normal things for once.

Then the door to the back bedroom flies open with a bang. Gumi stands in the doorway and stalks forward, shutting it behind her. Rin nearly drops her food, seeing Gumi for the first time like _this. _

Gumi's shirt was absolutely ruined, and removed by Lapis. She has on a surprisingly, relatively new looking black bra. Just below, the skin of her stomach is visible. A large jagged scar wraps all the way from her left shoulder, across her chest, and down past her hips, disappearing under the waist line of her black jeans. The bandage wraps around her lower stomach, but does not hide the fact that you can still see a few of her ribs. She's a lot skinnier than anyone had imagined. Her arms look incredibly frail without her usual heavy leather jacket on and without a crowbar held under them. Her face looks hollow without her goggles. As she turns to close the door to the back bedroom behind her, Len can't help but wince and Oliver can't contain a small gasp. Lapis cringes and Miku looks away. Somehow her back looks even worse to the only other two that have seen it. The canvas of gaunt slashes and white circular burn marks leave not a single patch of skin clear on her back. The jagged scar that slashed across her chest and stomach comes over her shoulder and all the way back down to her hip on her back as well, a giant upside-down U slashed over her shoulder and on either sides of her body.

She steps away from the door and out into the main space of the RV, facing everyone nervously. Gumi shifts her position and reaches a hand out.

"C-can I have my shirt?" Her voice sounds nothing like her at all. It's unsure and shaky and childish. Her cheeks flush with pink.

"Sorry- uhm… it got completely ruined. You wouldn't be able to wear it…" Lapis says, feeling ashamed just looking at Gumi's scars again. She can't take her eyes away. No one can. Not even IA and IO.

"…a jacket or something?"

"We lost them all in the hotel explosion." Lapis says, feeling worse every passing suggestion.

"…great." Gumi mutters under her breath, standing in the awkward and heavy silence that has now blossomed in the room.

"How does it feel?" Lapis quickly changes the subject.

"What? Oh." Gumi looks down at her bandage, as if she had forgotten she was shot. "Uh… well it hurts." Gumi casts her gaze down to her shoulder where the one jagged U-shaped scar is. "…I've had worse."

Oliver shatters the complex silence. "What happened to you?"

"Uh… Yuuma's crazy psycho sister showed up and shot me." Gumi gives him a weird look, knowing that's _not _what he was asking about, but also _praying _he doesn't ask again.

"No, I know that. I mean… _those._"

No one speaks or moves for a long time.

Rin stares at Gumi, confused and slightly hurt she wouldn't tell them about _this. _They all at this point know about what they saw online. None of them, besides Miku and Lapis, however, knew about the extent of her assorted traumas.

Still no one says or does anything.

The door to the back bedroom suddenly flies open, causing everyone to jump. Yuuma stands in the door frame, maybe a foot behind Gumi, panting, sweat rolling off of him. His features instantly relax upon seeing Gumi, standing. His face instantly falls upon seeing the bandage wrapped around her body.

"…you shouldn't be up." He says flatly, stepping forward. Realizing she doesn't have a shirt, his eyes fall to her back. Every part of him screams to hold her.

"It's fine." Her voice is dark, her eyes sad as she grabs her arm, incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"No, it's not. You were just _shot." _He touches the part of her left arm he _knows _has no scars on it. She flinches, just barely, but doesn't swat him away.

"Wait-", Rin stands up. "Aren't you… surprised?" The blonde stares blankly at Yuuma. The pink haired boy's eyes return to Gumi's back.

"No. He knows." Gumi answers for him.

"And you didn't tell _us_?"

"I didn't tell _anyone, _Rin!" Gumi fumes, eyes suddenly spitting fire.

"Why wouldn't you tell us something like this?" Len asks.

"It's not really a common topic to bring up, Len. I'm not going to walk up to you and say, 'oh, hey, I know you're an immortal demon being hunted by a cult of crazy bird enthusiasts, but check out these _scars _I have all over my back'." No one speaks. "You want to stare? Stare." Gumi turns around, facing Yuuma now, but her back facing everyone else.

With her face now facing Yuuma, she dips her head down for a fraction of a second, and he can swear he saw tears in her amber eyes. Without really thinking Yuuma pulls of his grey T-shirt and pulls it over Gumi's head. She gasps slightly but doesn't stop him as he pulls the shirt over her. It hangs off of her shoulder and shows the bend of the long jagged scar and it goes far past her waist, almost to her knees, stopping towards the middle of her thighs. The sleeves cut off at her elbows. Her back is still facing everyone.

Yuuma reaches forward, grabbing Gumi around the back of her neck, careful not to touch her scars, and pulls her into his chest. She sinks into him and as if receiving some silent command that it's okay, Yuuma wraps his arms around her back and hugs her deep into him. Once close enough that no one else can hear, he whispers.

"I'm sorry."

"No." She says at a normal volume, her voice returning to normal. "You're alive."


	20. How Long Is Forever?

**Hello minna!**

**God am I sorry! It has been forever since I've updated last but I'm out of school for the summer now and for sure my updates will get back on a regular schedule now! I know, this chapter is ridiculously short but it's for a good reason. It's a pretty... powerful and important chapter with a bunch of key events. **

**In this chapter... well, I don't want to spoil anything, but, we say goodbye to one of the groups very own! And you'll all probably hate me for it... *cringes* **

**Anyways, enjoy! **

**And, I bring you, Miki. **

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

X~57~X

_Can someone tell me how it got to this_? _I just can't seem to remember a time before… before the world came to this… I just want to go back… _

"Take me back to those days!" The girl screams for the thousandth time at the emptiness around her.

No answer comes except for the suppressing and daunting darkness and emptiness. The girl pushes her back against the wall and covers her ears.

She can't close her eyes, because she'll see her. She can't listen to the silence, because she'll hear him. Every day that's passed, every second that's gone on, is like an eternity stretching across the universe. Light at the end of the tunnel? Such a lie. Rainbow after the storm? Are you kidding? Warmth after the rain? Don't be stupid.

Even death won't accept her. Even though that's all she wants anymore.

Miki opens her mouth and screams. She kicks her legs every direction and screams with all of her lungs against the darkness. She screams and screams and strikes the wall. She screams because it's all she can do anymore. She screams.

"Please hear me!" Her voice is inhuman. She screams for him. He saved her once, he'll have to come again.

Oliver will come again.

She screams.

He'll come for her.

He has to.

Because if he doesn't…

The darkness will.

Just then the door to the cell opens and light falls into the room no bigger than a bathtub. Miki is bound to the walls with chains of the heaviest iron, her hair spilling out behind her like a stream, her eyes large and fearful, her pupils consumed entirely by a swimming ring of red. Her skin is paler than death, her body more fragile than a feather, than paper. Her bones protrude and her ribs stick out of her naked skin like mountains in a field. She looks like a skeleton.

With a body too weak to move, lungs too weak to scream, eyes too strained to cry, she turns her head up to face the small square of light in the ceiling almost twenty feet high. She can barely make out the flash of light on glasses.

Her mind bends for his face, his eye, burned and grey, skin shriveled and long dead compared to his other swimming amber one, filled with so much pain.

He had grabbed her hands by the wrists, the blood falling like rain on the two. Then he collapsed and spoke, his voice raspy and dead.

"_As long as you're here… I'd die again and again to see you smile." _His other eye, his now, _only _eye filled with tears and he collapsed.

She raises-raised-will raise- her hand, and grabs his wrist, she squeezed it and buries her face into his shoulder. The memory bends and burns until nothing is left. That was it… it's gone now. It's not him. Miki screams, and no sound comes.

_I'm so close… how many times is a million? _

The starvation, the insanity, the dehydration, it all crashes like a wave, eating her eyes until the only thing left is a chasm in her heart. And in that last second before death at the hands of this man, yet again, a voice reaches her on the last moment of oblivion.

The panel to the top of her cell twenty feet up closes and once again the insatiable darkness consumes her in the last moment before the dark oblivion of death…

"_L-let's play again…" _

_How soon is again? _

Haku covers her mouth to keep from throwing up as Hiyama closes the panel in the floor leading to the cell far underground shrouded in the cold and dark.

"That was…"

"Marvelous?" He finishes, throwing his arms out on either side of him and grinning madly, his glasses flashing.

"…Disgusting." She narrows her eyes and Kiyoteru's face turns dark.

"Let's go to my office, now, Master Yowane." He gestures to a few Watchers and the two walk down the long hallway to an office in a corner of the building with glass walls looking over a gentle country side. "Have a seat." Kiyoteru says, sitting in his large plush chair behind a giant oak desk.

Haku stays standing.

"How rude." He says curtly.

"I've come here for a reason." Haku says in a deadpan.

"Of course… to… _renew _our promise, I suppose." Haku nods, gulping. Hiyama stands and walks past her, locking the door and standing just behind her, his breath running down her neck. Haku shudders in terror.

"I must ask… as I always do," Haku starts, "if you've told."

"If I've told what you've brought into this world?" His lips trail down her neck. "No. Oh, and how _is _the little Akuma? I hear you took it into your new facility?"

"It's gone, now."

"That's unfortunate. Why have you come for mine?" Haku gulps and takes a step forward away from him.

"Because I have a plan."

"Oh?" Kiyoteru leans against his desk, crossing his arms. "This will be interesting."

"I know how to bring them all down."

Just then a Watcher thumps on the door and, sighing angrily, Hiyama stands and opens it for a female watcher with red hair.

"Master Kiyoteru, a message from the Disciples." She bows her head and Haku gasps slightly. "A message from the lips of The Servant of God." Kiyoteru adjusts his tie and pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

The squeamish looking Watcher awaits a command. "Well, get on with it." Hiyama barks.

"Master, well, a sacrifice has been demanded in the name of The Lord."

"Of how many?" He asks.

The Watcher shifts on her feet. "Ten thousand."

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

The curtain on the changing rooms swish open and Gumi walks out, flipping her goggles down over her eyes and tossing Gumo out of the palm of her hand and catching it repeatedly. A black tank top is under a heavy leather jacket and army green skinny jeans, purposely cut at the knee, swish against her legs as she moves.

"Let's go." Len says, nodding at the group, scattered in various places around the department store. Steadily, everyone picks their way through the clothing rack and just as the sales clerk shouts something, the group bolts out of the door and into the immensely crowded city streets illuminated only by the lights of cars and the moon.

"There!" Rin cries, pointing towards a decrepit and abandoned apartment complex looming over the city a few blocks away.

As the group takes off running, IA grips IO by the wrist and the two quickly catch up to the front of the group where Len is leading. He glances down at her to see his reflection thrown back at him from square rimmed glasses much too big for IA's face with zebra stripes on the frame. She frowns like she's impersonating some important business man and Len can't help but snicker at her. IO is wearing huge and thick sunglasses rimmed with fake gems that practically look like they're about to fall off of his face.

A cop car's siren explodes not far behind them and Len diverts into an alley, the group bounding at his heel. Easily, the group completely avoids and loses the police and soon find themselves panting outside of the building, the cold night air stinging them.

Gumi then drops her backpack on the ground and rights herself, panting.

"I'm ready to go." She declares, her face emotionless.

"What?" Len pants, expecting some witty joke to follow.

"I said, 'I'm ready to go.'" She repeats like he's an idiot.

"We just got here." Oliver says, grumbling something under his breath bitterly.

"I said _I'm _ready. Implying one person, Eye-patch." Everyone turns to stare at her, even IA and IO who are still playing with their glasses.

"What?" Yuuma asks, eyes widening.

Gumi slaps herself in the face and groans loudly. "Do you _not _speak English! I'm _leaving._"

"_What_?" Everyone asks at once.

Gumi sighs deeply. "This has been a long time coming, guys. I've thought it over, there isn't much left for me here… I'm a little tired of the running required with a group. I'd rather go back to the running on my own." She places a gloved hand on her hip and frowns darkly. Before anyone can protest, she turns around and begins walking the direction they came, back towards the towering skyscrapers of the busy city. "Good luck with the 'not killing the world' thing." She calls behind her.

Yuuma lurches forward and grabs her by the shoulder. She whips around instantly and the sound of a slap echoes painfully through the empty lot. Her eyes are narrowed in a rage he's never seen before and in her obscured eyes is a fire too big to put out. Her voice is commanding, deep, harsh, and so unlike her.

"Don't touch me."

"Gumi, you can't just leave!" Rin shouts, jogging forward.

"Rin, I've made up my mind."

"You aren't really leaving, are you?" Len asks, his voice dripping with his apparent confusion.

Gumi nods her head. "This isn't comedy hour, I'm going, Len, you guys don't get to stop me from doing that. I do better on my own… this group stuff is getting a little difficult…" She mutters, putting her hand behind her head.

"Is that meant to be an insult?" Rin hisses through a clenched jaw.

Gumi chuckles emotionlessly. "No. Take it as it is, blondie. I'm going, really, going, now." Gumi gives them a smile that shows no sadness or weakness of any kind, as if she isn't even sad. Walking out of Rin's grip she passes Yuuma and doesn't spare anyone one last glance before moving off into the distance, everyone too shocked to make a move to stop her. At the very end of the street, standing at the base of a four story building, she calls out. "It's been fun!"

She raises Gumo and hooks him on a low rung of a fire escape ladder, pulling it down to herself and climbing up it with surprising ease. She doesn't look back. Not even once as she passes the end of the building and disappears into the dark night sky.

"Did… did she really just go?" Lapis says softly, her voice cracking. Miku whimpers something and Lapis puts a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. After all they've been through, for someone to decide to up and leave hurts more than anything to the teal haired girl.

"Y-yeah… I think she did." Len puts a hand on Rin's shoulder.

At the edge of a skyscraper not too far away, Gumi looks down at the city streets bellow and places a hand on the handle of Gumo, feeling a new emotion wretch up into her throat. She sighs, almost contently, and casts her eyes to the moon lingering in the black abyss stretching over the world.

"Just you, and me." She mutters, running her hand down Gumo's edge.

Then, she cracks her neck and flips her goggles down over her gleaming green eyes, smirking devilishly.

"Oh how good it is to be back."

And with that she throws herself over the side of the building and slides down the side, off into the night, off to fight who knows what in who knows where.

'Cause that's just what she does.

_My name… my name is Gumi Megpoid… and… I think, I think this is just fine. Because I've met the people I was meant to meet. And boy, did we have a hell of an adventure. _

_Maybe I'll live to tell it. _

_Ah, who am I kidding? _

_Of course I will. _

* * *

**I know, I know! I'm a terrible person! Don't hurt me! **

**Why, you ask? Why Gumi? Well, because she's the only one strong enough to walk away. And it was going to happen sooner or later, but I think everyone assumed that if anyone was going to bail, it would be Oliver.  
So... SURPRISE! I know, it's a bad one.  
**

**Chapter Pole:  
**

**About that... mind resending your favorite chapters? I'm too lazy to go find them in your reviews, heheheh~! **

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**


	21. Mother's Day

**Gah! Late update again! So sorry, ****last weekend was the weekend of Commicon where I live and I spent all my free time working on my Gumi (from Matryoshka) cosplay! I blew 140$ in two days and actually _touched _the actor that plays Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who, John Barrowman!**

**But now I'm back to working on ATFO! This chapter ends with the biggest cliffhanger I think I've done so far throughout the entire story~! *evil grin*.  
**

**Again, about the Gumi leaving thing, I knew a lot of you would be mad! So sorry but it had to happen! **

**-You, The Reader: "But why, Gumi! I love Gumi!" **

**-Tiruneko-chan: "Cos she knows what's best for her and it wasn't staying with the group." **

**-You, The Reader: "Why do you hate me!" **

**-Tiruneko-chan: "It hurt me too!" *sob sob* "Forgive me Kami-sama!" **

**Anyways, thanks to reviewers: Saints-Fan-12, Zhane17-sama, Black White and Superstitious, pseudoCalibrator, XxKingArthurlllxX, RandomNumbers523156, Awesome D.T, mlkqueen12, Ice-cream-and-cake-cake, iDon'tCare, mintyMocha, vanishingsoulsx, Guest 1, Guest 2. **

**Enjoy as always, **

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X__~58~__X_

Through the sickening madness came a new emotion. A new pain so deep, nothing can ever right it. Through the deep darkness came a vision. A vision so thick, everything else is blinding. Miki stares up through the swirling empty depths above her head, almost challenging the small panel she knows is above her head, somewhere up there. Even with her clouded and scarred mind, the anger is intense and violently thick, explosively so. But she can't help but feel immense and crippling fear.

It may have been minutes, hours, days, since she started staring upwards towards the far away ceiling (she had determined long ago- in the time where she still had some shred of humanity left- that her prison is underground), when the panel opening, casting blinding white light, the light of the heavens, downwards into her face. Still she does not shield her gleaming red eyes. She still has her pride.

A loud popping noise echoes out four times through the walls and it takes not even a second for the crippling pain to register and death to once again pull her away.

When Miki next opens her eyes, the white light is blinding and all around her. She is lying face down, her right cheek pressed into the cold floor. A chill rocks through her naked body as she pushes herself as far upwards as she can manage in her condition. A pulling on her skin and metal against flesh with the pain of only a tiny pinch causes her to slowly turn her head in a daze to see the IV hooked into her arm just above the crook in her arm.

The red head blinks her eyes once and hears muddled voices above her. It takes her moments to process what had actually been said, at first, it just sounds like noises.

"Can it function?"

"It will function enough." A woman with silvery white hair bends down in front of Miki, only a few feet away. Miki blinks heavily as spit dribbles down her face. Haku smiles. Miki shudders. The woman's purple tie hovers over the floor and her black slacks swish against her legs. "Can you speak?"

Harsh memories slam into Miki like a train and, without warning, she forces her weak body to lurch forward, flailing madly to scrape Haku's eyes out of her skull. Haku simply grips Miki by her wrists. If she wanted, she would simply have to pull down to break both of her wrists. Miki is incredibly weak, a skeleton with skin and hair.

"Monster…" She rasps, falling limp to the ground.

"The medication will kick in soon. It'll take a few days, but you'll be ready." Haku says, standing. The room is large and open, the size of a gymnasium with blinding white floors and rows of florescent above her head. There are no visible doors or windows.

A tall man with broad shoulders and dark hair addresses Haku, his voice deep and harsh. "This plan of yours had better work. You're wasting resources."

"It's necessary."

"You're simply lucky I was willing to lend you it." The man's glasses flash with the reflection from the lights.

"This plan will work." Haku frowns and Miki squirms slowly on the floor, eventually managing to push herself upwards again. Miki pulls at her IV line.

"…what is this…?" She croaks.

"Nutrition and sedatives." Haku answers.

A door slides out of the wall Miki is facing and with a swish of yellow hair it closes with a tall woman on the other side. She is wearing a brown and yellow dress with black fishnet leggings and weapons strapped around her arms and waist. A lab coat dangles around her arms. Her face is bruised and stitches are visible around her nose. Her expression is angry by nature and the second her eyes find Miki they flash with disgust.

"This is what you're up to?" She clicks her tongue condescendingly. She stalks forward, her tall black heels clicking against the floor. Lily scoffs at Haku and regards her bitterly. "Yowane."

"Master Lily." Haku dips her head respectively.

"Save it." Lily hisses through a clenched jaw.

"…I'll…" Miki sways in place. "…never… be a-part… of your… plan…" She rasps, out of breath, her vision blurry.

Haku moves back towards her and again bends to her level, grinning sadistically, manically, like a mad-man, a truly, truly, evil madman, a joker. Her purple manicured fingers lift Miki's chin, and, with no power to resist, Miki glares at her with harshly deep crimson eyes. "Oh sweet, sweet, Akuma… you have no choice." She sings. Haku pushes against Miki's forehead gently and with a loud thud Miki falls backwards out of her sitting position, collapsed, unconscious onto the floor.

"How long until we're ready to make our move?" Lily asks, folding her arms over her chest, frowning darkly.

Hiyama pushes his glasses up the bridge of his noise. "I'd say a week until it's ready, at least a couple days for it to work."

"The sacrifice should be as soon as possible. Have we selected the Lambs?" Lily turns to Haku.

"The Servant said ten thousand, but after conferring further, it must be of the impure only, and no one over the age of seventeen years. At least two thirds must be female." Hiyama clicks his tongue, turning his head up.

"So unappreciative of the opportunities and specialties given to your gender…" he mutters.

"It must be in the presence of the Demon Children." Haku states, casting a glance at Miki.

"Then it should be done no more than a week afterwards." Hiyama offers.

"Seventeen days." Lily says, staring up at the ceiling. Her red lips spread into a grin. "Seventeen days and the will of the Lord shall be fulfilled…"

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Save me, Lenny!" IA cries, skipping in a circle around the edge of the roof of the abandoned apartment complex with her arms spread out wide like wings.

"IA, it's dangerous there, come back." Len calls, glancing up from his map.

IO's head shoots up at the word "danger", and he races to IA, pulling her arm towards him and tugging her away from the edge. She pouts, crossing her arms and flicking a braided strand of her hair over her shoulder.

"No one want's to play." She grumbles, stalking off to sit by Lapis.

Lapis offers her a warm smile and pats her lap. IA crawls on top of her and, using her fingers, Lapis begins to brush through her hair, braiding it into small, face-framing strands as she goes. Miku shifts in her position next to Len while IO sits by Lapis, watching IA protectively. On the other side of Len is Rin, and across from him are Yuuma and Oliver, all hovering over their weapon inventory and an assortment of stolen maps.

"We're seriously lacking because of Gumi…" Len trails off. It's been over a week since she left, and everyone is still reeling at mention of her name. "…so we'll need a game plan. I say we stay here. This city is massive and we can practically blend in as we please."

"Plus there's more stuff to do." Rin mutters, lying out flat on her back and shielding her eyes from the sun high above.

Len chuckles. "Yes, and there's more stuff to do."

"So, basically, we can live 'normally' if we lay low?" Yuuma clarifies. IA perks up.

"I wanna' be normally!" She cries, giggling.

"It's 'I want to be _normal', _IA." Lapis corrects, smiling. Len smiles sadly.

Suddenly a loud gunshot echoes out through the air. IA shrieks and covers her ears and Miku jumps, throwing herself on top of Len and clenching her eyes shut. Everyone turns slowly to stare at the roof of the building across from them.

Standing on the roof is a girl with their hand extended high into the air, a pistol aimed at the sky, smoking. Red hair moves like a cape behind them in the wind and the skirt of a black dress flows around their knees. The figure takes a step towards the edge of the twin building. There is no mistaking it. The glare of the sun reflects across the surface of crystal clear, red eyes.

"Miki…" Oliver's breath catches, then stops entirely. Rin looks at him, eyes wide with surprise.

On the building across from them, Miki bends her head into a mouth piece and mutters something indistinct. With encouragement from the voice on the other end, she points the gun outwards towards the group of eight on the roof across from her.

"Die." And she pulls the trigger.

A bullet flies across the sky and slams directly into Len, hitting him straight through his esophagus and sending blood spraying out of a hole blasted into his neck. IA screams. His body falls on top of Miku, pinning her to the cold cement of the roof with warm blood running across her. Lapis curls herself around IA and reaches around, grabbing IO's wrist and pulling him to the floor. She lies herself across both of them and clenches her eyes shut as IA continues to scream underneath her with everything in her lungs.

The next shot hits Miku straight through her skull, even with her position under Len's body. Rin stands, her own gun drawn, but within less than a second's time a bullet hole blasts through her palm, sending the gun flying. The next bullet slams through Rin's right eye, killing her dead instantly. Her body falls with a loud thud. Miki reloads in two seconds flat and is aiming again. She moves swiftly across the roof and bends until she has a decent angle. With the accuracy of a sniper she shoots both IA and IO out from under Lapis, leaving the blue haired girl clutching two blood soaked corpses bellow her. Miki plows down Len, Miku, Rin, IA, and IO with three more bullets each before tapping her mic piece.

"I'm crossing." She backs up and runs forward, throwing herself with awe inspiring power across the gap between the buildings, her hand hitting a window pane three floors bellow the roof. She swings inside and disappears.

Yuuma darts upwards from his position under their classable plastic table. His mind reels. Miki could have killed him and Lapis and Oliver just as easily as she did the others, but she left them alive, why? Because their mortal? That makes no sense… He bends, picking up Rin's gun and cocking it, standing against the wall of the entrance to the roof. He can hear her running footsteps up the stair well. Lapis jumps off of IA and IO and runs to hide by Yuuma.

Yuuma continues to dissect the situation. Then it hits him. The door to the roof flies open and Miki comes walking cautiously out, her gun raised. Yuuma rounds the corner and pulls the trigger. She yelps a millisecond before Yuuma's bullet pierces though her temple and sends her body hitting the roof, dead. She may have been given orders or taught to shoot, but she lacks the combat experience, giving Yuuma his opening. He stands over her corpse and picks up her gun, aiming both down at her body.

"Lapis!" He yells behind him. "Get everyone inside!"

"That won't be happening." Lily rounds the other side of the stairwell where Lapis had been hiding. Pinned under her arm with a rag of chloroform over her mouth is Lapis, unconscious. She drops the girl to the floor and aims a gun at Yuuma, who now has a gun pointed down at Miki and out at Lily.

Len stirs above Miku and jumps back with shock, reaching for his gun. A bullet hit's him through his chest and just barely misses his heart before he has a chance to grab it. Len falls across Miku, still dead, and pulls his arms around her as blood begins to pour out of his mouth. He curls his entire body around her, like a shield, and dies with her body clutched under him.

Luka Megurine lowers her gun from shooting the boy and just as Rin begins to come to, fires three rounds into the blonde's skull.

Miku doesn't breathe nor move. She can feel the coldness of Len's corpse around her like a security blanket, his grip so tight her skin is whitening. She plays dead.

A troop of Watchers enter from downstairs carrying steel cages and a cart to transport them. Yuuma reluctantly lowers his weapons, dropping them to the ground as he's surrounded and injected with sedatives that render him unconscious immediately. Miki stirs, jolting upwards, and blinking her eyes.

Two Watchers attempt to pull Len and Miku apart and put them into cages, but his dying grip is too strong, and they lack the materials to sever them cleanly.

"Just pack them in together." Lily orders, directing the group of workers around. Within a minutes time Len and Miku are in a cage, Rin is also as well as IA and IO.

Soon each Demon Child has woken from death and sit, kicking and thrashing in their temporary cells. Lily bends in front of Len and Miku's cage, grinning as behind her Oliver's uncouncious body is packed into a crate besides Miki's where she sits placidly, watching and unfazed.

The stairwell door opens again and Haku steps out onto the roof with Hiyama Kiyoteru behind her. Her eyes fall on IA's cage and fix there. She moves forward.

IA's eyes widen in absolute terror and she stops breathing. Len turns to her, peering through the bars. Haku takes off her sunglasses and stares down into the cage of the young, immortal, girl.

IA shudders with something greater than fear. She opens her mouth.

"N-no… no Mama…"

Haku Yowane glowers down at IA Yowane.

"Welcome home my forsaken daughter."

* * *

**Miki has found the group, executed her fellow demons multiple times, kicked some ass, sat placidly in a cage and betrayed Oliver! Go Miki! **

**IA has found her mother, the one that lit her on fire as shown in chapter 20 of ATFO Part I, Her Story. **

**And the human sacrifice of ten thousand is nine days away for the group!  
**

**I know, I'm evil ;3 Thanks for reading!**

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**


	22. Spiderwebs in The Silence

**I promised faster updates! I only lie _sometimes~! _**

**Please forgo any mistakes, I slept maybe four hours at the most last night cos my stupid drunk neighbors kept me up with their stupid pool party all night. So, gommene for any spelling or grammar errors, I'll come back and edit later. Does anyone even read these? I wouldn't XD  
**

**Anyways, this is a chapter to sort of make up for recent terrible turns of events. Gumi leaving, Miki turning against them, the group getting captured again... I figured you guys needed a "pick me up" chapter! Well, let me tell you, I think you're _really _gonna' like this chapter. Like _really. _It's a little slow, but just wait for it. I've made you wait a long time for this, I hope I've done it justice.  
**

**Thanks to reviewers!**

_**~Tiruneko ;3**_

* * *

_X~59~X_

As the shadow filled and dark transport truck hits a bump in the road, the cage rattles in the empty trunk and slides back into another wall. Due to the small size, Miku and Len have pushed their backs against opposite walls but their knees still manage to touch, even folded against their chests. Miku's face is buried in her arms and her breathing is incredibly ragged. She refuses to look up as the crate bumps again.

"Miku…" Len puts his hand on her knee and she pulls away as far as possible, nearly bashing her head against the roof. The trunk of the van is entirely empty besides their cage. For added security, only one cage is allowed per truck. "Miku, we'll be fine." His stomach lurches.

She shakes her head and her breath hitches and releases sounding like gravel running down a hill. Len's heart sinks.

"Miku?" Nothing. "Miku, show me your eyes." She stops breathing all together and curls further into herself. "Miku!"

"No!" She shouts, her voice full of tears.

Len lurches forward and grips her wrists, pulling her forward with force he hadn't intended, nearly dragging her on top of him. Her face hovers inches from his, her eyes fear inspiring.

Their crimson red depths have turned to a shade of fresh blood illuminated by the sun, as if they themselves possess their own source of light. Her pupil is merely the size of a pin prick and spilling outwards in thin wisps into the rest of her iris are black strips creating the pattern of spider webs dancing in the darkness. The whiteness of her sclera is entirely gone, swallowed whole by the swimming red. Her eyes seem to have a heartbeat of their own as she stares at Len. He doesn't breathe.

He slowly releases her wrists and watches her slowly recoil back into an upright fetal position across from him. With great difficulty the blonde shifts to be right beside her. Her body tenses even more and her shoulder blades arch. A warmth spreads across her thin and bony shoulders and before she knows it, Miku is entirely wrapped into Len, her cheek on his shoulder, his chin resting on her head, his arm around her shoulder, his other around her waist, his legs intertwined with hers. Miku won't dare open her eyes.

His fingers move through a strand of her teal hair, caked with dry blood. "I'm not afraid." He says, his voice soft and nearly silent.

"...I am…" Len grips her tighter.

"I'm sorry." He mutters, pulling her hair around her shoulder and away from her face, still hidden in her hands. Miku shakes her head weakly.

"…they burn…" She rasps out, digging her fingers into her eye sockets, pushing with all of her strength. Almost instantly, Len grips her wrists with only one of his hands, keeping her pinned against him with his other. He rips her hands away from her face and holds them to his chest, moving his head to look at her face.

Tears roll down her blood caked skin and her eyes flash. Her face falls when she realizes the look of horror on Len's face. He looks like she just punched him in the stomach, like all the air has disappeared from his lungs. But he's not scared.

"I-I…" Miku begins to sob. "I-I'm-I'm so sorry!" Her whole body begins to shake and her pupils shrink into her eyes entirely, disappearing within an instant.

"Miku?" Len gasps, shaking her gently as her mouth drops open. Her body snaps back over his arm and her limbs twitch and wretch, convulse and bend. "Miku!" Len shouts. She can't hear him anymore. The black webs in her eyes vanish, leaving only red, red, red.

Len knows what's going to happen next. The light will come as it had before and it'll kill him and probably whoever is driving. He would never admit it to her, to anyone, but that was the most painful death he had ever experienced. Worse than being choked, burned, drowned, crushed, electrocuted, poisoned, worse than free falling. It was indescribable agony. It was as if the devil himself had reached into his throat and ripped out his heart. And afterwards there was no relief, just a pain so brutal it was numbing. It felt like something had crawled inside of his eyes and like something was stabbing him from the inside out. Even the farthest depths of his body hurt. And he can't imagine what it was like for her. What it is like.

"Miku!" Despite her thrashing he shakes her, pinning her arms to her side. Her head snaps back and the sound of a crunch of bone in her neck makes Len sick. "_Miku!" _

Her eyes close.

…What is this feeling? Her head swims and her entire body feels numb. What happened? Her head thumps with a deafening noise.

Silence.

Slowly feeling returns. A gentle touch like nothing she has ever experienced is cupped around her cheek. It's warm, surprisingly so. Comfortingly so. Without really thinking she finds herself leaning into this contact. It's somewhere else too. The same feeling. On the back of her neck, holding her head almost. Despite the crushing pain there, the feeling is dominating. Miku feels the bone snap back into place, fixing itself under the feeling. It moves with the new bone. Her eyes. Her eyes don't burn anymore. The ringing in her ears, the insatiable buzzing is also, gone. Only the feeling. It's somewhere else too. It's damp, and warm. And even more gentle than the feeling on her cheek and neck. It's inside of her too. The feeling… it's on her lips.

Miku slowly opens her eyes.

Len's hand is on her cheek and holding her head, his body incredibly close and warm. His hair brushes by her face and tickles her forehead, but that isn't the surprising part. She has no breath, and can't figure out why.

…What is this?

Len's eyes are shut and she can feel every part of him, so warm. The feeling again dominates, and time melts away, simply vanishing into air. Then, he pulls away. Just as fast as it had hit her, it suddenly ends. Air returns to her lungs but she does not gasp for breath. She shudders with loss. Len's eyes steadily open, a warm rusty red. They lock with hers, a bright, simmering, rose color.

The feeling on her cheek and neck… his touch. That becomes clear now. His head nearly touches the top of the cage, hers slightly below. When had he become taller than her? Had he always been…? She can't seem to recall anymore.

Their eyes stay locked, then the sound around them breaks into an even deeper silence. He blinks and within seconds Miku watches as his face flushes bright red. Is he…

Blushing?

Miku feels limp. If it wasn't for his hands still supporting her, she might, no, will probably collapse onto the bottom of the cage. Her legs are bent painfully under her as are his. Her eyes still can't seem to leave his. Slowly, she raises a hand. Her index finger grazes her bottom lip. Damp. She lowers her gaze to his lips, just for a second, and looks back up into his eyes. She draws her finger away and stares at that, before, again, her eyes find his.

Neither speak.

Miku can't think of what to do but stare into him, like trying to discover a birthday present without touching the box or removing the decorative wrapping paper. And for once in Miku's life, she can really, truly say, the buzzing in her ears has gone. Len's face isn't even an inch from hers.

Miku gulps and moves her lips, her voice shaky and that of a child.

"L-Len…?"

Before more can be said he leans forward with incredible speed. Miku feels her head tip upwards. The feeling explodes and rockets up through her whole body. Her eyes flutter closed and she leans into Len, falling into him and pushing him against the side of the cage. His lips move across hers with a gentleness and ease she has never felt before. His hand moves from her cheek to her hair and a tiny noise escapes her lips. After a long moment of breathlessness, he pulls away again. Their eyes meet.

"I-Is this… kissing?" Miku asks, her eyes blinking with the nature of a child.

Len can't help but lift his hand to hide his grin. He laughs and nods his head.

"Y-yes," he chuckles.

"R-really?" Miku squeaks.

Len laughs again. "You're so unsure."

"R-really?" He moves a hand through her hair, grinning.

"Every word out of you…" Len tucks a strand behind her ear. "…is a question."

Miku's mind drifts back to her first conversation where she was treated as a person.

"_I don't think I know." _

"_You're very uncertain." _The voice beyond the wall had said.

"_I am?" _She had yelped, embarrassed.

He had laughed. _"Every other word out of you is a question." _

"_I guess so." _Then she had laughed for the first time in ten years.

Miku giggles slightly, for a moment forgetting where they are. A different type of silence falls between them. After a moment Len reaches up, moving his hands to Miku's shoulders and turning her body so she lies against him, into his chest, her head on his shoulder, just under his chin, right where he likes her.

The van hits a bump and the crate slides across the floor. Miku yelps and grips Len's chest. He curls around her and the two slide a little ways, the side of their cage brutally smashing into the wall of the truck. Len's head hits the barred side of the crate with a loud thud. He curses under his breath and Miku tenses. She opens her eyes, but doesn't lift her head. She inhales deeply.

Honeysuckle and cinnamon.

"…Len?"

"Mm?" He pulls his hands through her teal hair, his fingers catching on some clumps of dried blood. They fall into his lap.

"…What's gonna happen to us?" Her mind drifts to IA's face. To the horrible sound of IA's screams as she had heard Haku speak. Haku's voice had reduced her to _that. _Miku had never heard a sound quite like it. It was truly, truly horrible. There's no other word for it. She had _screamed. _She had screamed bloody murder.

Len stops combing through her hair.

"I don't know."

"Len?"

"…Yeah?"

"I-Is the silver-haired lady really IA's mother?" Len falls deathly, deathly silent.

"I think so." His voice is dark and dry and toneless.

"Len?" He doesn't respond this time, but Miku knows he's listening. "Where's your and Rin's mom?" His entire body goes rigid. She can hear him gulp. "I-I'm sor-", He shifts her head up with his hand.

"Please don't say that." He smiles weakly at her. Miku's eyes go wide and she musters a nod, letting her head lower back onto his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat and feeling the warmth of his chest against her cheek. Under different circumstances she might have fallen asleep.

"She was an amazing woman." He says suddenly. Miku nods. He's silent for a minute. "Me and Rin loved her with everything. Love her, with everything." He inhales deeply. "We lived somewhere where it snowed all the time. Rin loved to sock me in the face with these really terrible snowballs." He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. "She put gravel in them sometimes." Miku giggles a little. "Mo- My mom would pay us a quarter each for shoveling snow off of our porch, and afterwards, she always gave us each a dollar, saying, 'You did an extra amazing job, my extra amazing children.'" Miku smiles for him.

"That sounds…" She looks for a word. "…good."

"And over the summer, when it wasn't snowing, she would set up a tent in our backyard and hold me and Rin each in her arms at night and laugh as we tried to catch fireflies. Naturally, Rin tried to kill them with sticks." Len laughs and so does Miku.

"She's always been like that, then?" Miku says clumsily, tripping over difficult words.

"Oh that's not even the worst of it. She was like a cat. If she found a dead bird, squirrel, anything, she brought it straight to Mom, shouting, all excited. 'Look-it, Look-it!'" He imitates Rin squealing in a high pitched mouse-like tone. He sighs. "We never got to start school… but when she had signed us up for preschool, every morning after she decided she woke us up with a story of when she was in school. Me and Rin actually played 'school' together sometimes. She was such an amazing… amazing person. The first time I remember actually dying, when I woke up, she had put me in bed and was reading Rin a story next to me. When I looked into her eyes…" He chuckles mournfully, "…she was happy to see me. There wasn't any fear."

Miku smiles, living through Len's memories of a happy early-childhood. "What did she look like?" Miku asks, filled with curiosity.

"Well, like Rin, but with long hair and she was tall and her cheeks were always pink, a little like you. You know why Rin where's those clips in her hair? Mom had a pair that looked the same. Her eyes were a bright, icy blue, like crystals. She was always smiling."

Miku exhales deeply, feeling herself melt into Len's stories as he continues babbling warmly. And after a while, she finds herself asleep.

A loud mechanical clanging jolts Miku violently from sleep. Len's hands clasp around her shoulders and grip her tightly. A silhouette framed in light from the entrance to the truck raises a gun. Miku feels Len's body curl around hers and shield her.

The popping of bullets from a silencer echo out and Len grunts before falling lifeless on top of her. Miku's eyes widen as Lilly reloads. She clenches her eyes shut and again falls into death.

The dream is over.

And the nightmare is only just about to begin.

* * *

**Has my romance writing improved? *hopeful smile* I really hope so, because if not, sorry Miku and Lenny!  
**

**Hope my Lenku fans liked this. Oh, the days where I didn't even know what Lenku was... *wistful sigh* Look at me now! ^^**

**Have a great weekend, minna~! **

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**


	23. The Final Call

**I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON! I know I haven't updated in forever... and that this chapter is pathetically short... what can I say? Writers block is a bitch. I really do owe you guys an apology with this extremely overdue chapter... I'll be moving houses soon and the next might come a little bit on the late side too.  
**

**I know this chapter is short but a lot happens in it content wise. As in... the identity of the Servant is finally revealed! The head of the cult is finally shown! **

**This part of the story is quickly coming to a close but the final part, part three, will start again afterwards. I'm also thinking that once I've offically finished All The Fragile Ones I'll do a small tie-in One Shot story on another song in the series A Tale of Six Trillion Years & An Overnight Story is from, Reincarnation. I highly suggest you watch it. **

**Please forgive me for this terribly over-due and... depressing update. **

**~_Tiruneko ;3_**

* * *

_X~60~X_

The heavy door made of nine-inch thick concrete slides open with a loud and booming clang. The blonde staggers to his feet, fists clenched. His eye adjusts slowly to the sudden change in lighting and the door behind the figure slides closed. Crimson red hair flows outwards like a veil behind the un-naturally and un-healthily thin girl with hollow eyes. Around her shoulders is a long and elegant black dress. Miki smiles hollowly.

"Miki…" Oliver's dirtied and gaunt features relax slightly. Lights stay on twenty-four seven, and all concept of time has long since dissipated. Her head tips back slightly and she steps forward. Oliver steps backward.

"I- I'm so, so sorry." She says quickly, her voice different somehow.

"What did they do to you… you used to be a good person, Miki. You used to be kind. What you did… that was an execution. Now… we're all going to die." Oliver is dark and his eyes are soft as a pain unlike any other rips at his heart.

"They- they didn't do anything to me." She steps forward slowly, inching towards him with her bony and pale arm outstretched. Oliver tenses and tips his head slightly upwards, struggling to keep his expression blank and cold as Miki's all too frigid finger tips stroke against the side of his face, gradually moving upwards to his eye bandage. "They just showed me the end."

"End?"

Miki nods and tears swim in her eyes as she rubs her thumb against his cheek. "I'm… trying to do the right thing."

"The right thing? Handing me, Yuuma, and Lapis over to be executed?" Oliver chokes on his own words, feeling tears sting at his own eyes. Miki exhales with a shuddering breath and nods, eyes shimmering, lips peeling into a pathetic looking smile.

"Yes." There is a long pause lasting an eternity. "Oliver… there are no miracles in this world. Kindness is just more pain wrapped up in a pretty bow. They've shown me what the world will come too… they've shown me the End. This death… is the only way I can save you." One tear rolls over her cheek and hits the floor. Neither even breathe. "Please… let me save you." Before Oliver can speak, she cuts him off with her teary voice and pleading expression. "Let me save you, for once in my endless life!"

"Miki… you're killing me." He whispers. She nods. A tiny metallic beep hits the room and Miki lowers her arm to hold Oliver's hand, raising it and pressing it against her own cheek.

"I'm killing the world."

Oliver allows her to flatten his palm against her deathly cold skin and her eyes flutter closed. Her mouth opens slightly and a ragged breath escapes her lips. She hiccups. A realization hits the blonde square in the chest. He lowers his head slightly and he doesn't dare break eye contact.

"This is goodbye, isn't it?" He asks, his voice barely audible. Miki nods, leaning into his hand a little like a cat waiting to be caressed.

"Do you hate me…?"

He doesn't have a response. She's sentencing him to his death and has delivered her own kind to their greatest enemies. _Willingly. _There's so much he wants to scream. So much he wants to cry for, so much he wants to hate her for. But she looks so broken. All of the times they spent together as children, all of the adventures they had, all of the moments they had shared seem only like dreams. Does the world even contain happiness? A happiness they'd all be able to share in? Oliver knows the answer. And as much as he tries to find it in him to give into this anger, this frustration and betrayal… he just can't.

"…no."

Miki hiccups again.

"When you… when you see her again… please… tell her to dream of me. Tell her to-to…" her voice cracks. "…to forgive me. I-I… I hope you can find some peace… the peace I'll never have. T-this is what I'm giving you." Her eyes well and salty warm liquid spills in between their fingers, still pressed to her cheek. Oliver nods, face frozen stoic. "And… for me… can you- can you promise me something?"

This is really it.

"Of course." His own voice is wavering now.

"Promise me… you'll remember the person I used to be. Maybe then… I'll be able to live on in some way… in some peace."

"Always." Oliver whispers.

"We'll never meet again. So…" She inhales deeply, the tears dissipating from her empty red eyes. Her pink lips curl open into a grin. "Goodbye!"

"G-goodbye, Miki." The red eyed red head drops his hand and turns, walking towards the door. She rests her palm gently against the concrete, waiting for it to open. "W-wait- Miki, what's the End?"

Without turning back, or even looking behind her shoulder, Miki finds it in her to answer. "The day the world dies."

~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~

"Where are you taking me?!" Lapis screams at the top of her lungs into the darkness around her. A blindfold is strapped heavily against her eyes, sending pain searing throughout her skin and scalp. Her hands are bound and she's walking. She's been walking for what seems like hours now. No one is touching her, or leading her, but whenever she stops or falters, or tries to move a different direction, an electric shock ricochets throughout her spine and to every corner of her being.

She'll get the same answer to her question as she has been getting. Silence.

Then there is a noise. It sounds like gates opening and now her footsteps echo. The blindfold suddenly just falls off of her, fluttering to the ground and hitting her bare feet.

Her first day in the facility she had been forced to put on a sleeve-less white dress reaching her knees with a blue train off of the back, floating out behind her.

She allows her eyes to adjust. The room is incredible. It's large, large like nothing she's ever seen. The ceiling extends upwards seemingly forever and the walls are a deep amber, the color of fire. Every few yards or so there is a torch sporting yellowy golden light. Heavenly, almost. Her feet chill and curl against the cold white floor that gradually blends in with the shade of the walls the further out it extends. Lapis is standing just to the right of the pure white strip of floor, towards the amber sky and walls.

She can see the sunset far, far above her. Deep red and orange, flaming pink and yellow. Warm light spilling out from the cloud filled air. Suddenly, for the first time in so very, very long, Lapis feels so incredibly small.

At the very head of the room, extending as far out as she can see, are pure, gleaming white steps, and at the head of this elevated ground, on a throne of pure white and warm gold as she's never seen, is a woman.

She is tall and thin, dressed in the most elegant white and blue dress. She looks like the sky. Her hair is chin length and a fierce neon blue, her eyes are the same. And wrapped around her neck is a light blue scarf almost longer than her legs.

Lapis' breath hitches and she utters one word.

"Mom?"

"Hello, Lapis." Kaiko Aoki stands and smiles down at her daughter, outstretching her arms out to her sides. "Welcome to the gate of heaven."

"N-no…" Lapis staggers backwards. "Y-you died…"

"Oh, sweetie, no. I was _reborn." _Her voice is milky, sweet, warm, and carries its own rhythm. She slowly begins to descend the steps. "I was reborn… as the Servant of God."

"Y-you're… you're the Servant. You're..."

"The earthly hand of God. And, my daughter, you have strayed from his light. To be blunt, I was quite surprised when I found out what you had been up to in my absence. Working with the Demon Spawn? My Lapis? I never saw you as being that bold. But…" Kaiko spins gracefully, head craned upwards to the ceiling. "The Lord has given you a different path…" She sighs. "…and after all I've done for you."

Lapis can't even blink. Slowly, she raises her finger to touch the gem around her neck. Her mother's necklace.

"W-what happens now?" She says softly, almost as if she was daring herself to speak.

"Retribution." Her mother pauses and continues her descent. "A sacrifice will be delivered… a celebration will be held… the End is nearing and we've never been better prepared. The traitors, the boy of the sacred city and the one with blinded sight, will atone."

"You're going to kill them."

"Very clever indeed, my daughter."

The blue haired beauty inhales deeply, gaining a new determination, a new strength and confidence unlike anything she's ever felt. Her face goes stoic and she forces her tears away. "And what of me?"

"You're a clever girl… I have faith…" Her mother reaches for something. "…that you'll figure it out."

A gunshot snaps through the air, shattering the world. With a spray of blood and a heavy thud of weight hitting the ground, the world falls silent. Lapis' soul-less eyes stare out into oblivion as blood runs down her face from the bullet hole in between her eyes.

Her right hand falls, splayed outwards, as if grasping for something just out of her reach, something that she'll never, ever grasp.

A warmth after a rain that she'll never, ever feel.


End file.
